Kokoro no Hanashi
by Feral Phoenix
Summary: [AU] A desperate battle against an all too powerful enemy. Innocence lost in the process. The five hearts needed to unseal the Final Gate. Secrets that could destroy everything. And above all, Kiri's quest to save the one he loves.
1. Prelude

Kokoro no Hanashi

DISCLAIMER: Don't own FF:U. Don't own Kingdom Hearts. Don't own the Heartless (why the hell would anybody ever want to own those creepy things anyway...?). The sub-bad guys here (Koryu, Kara, kagami-Kaze, and Azrael) are of my invention, though.

_So little time, so much to do..._

_Where to begin...?_

---

I've... been having these strange feelings lately...

Am... I dreaming? Is this a dream...? Or is it real...? I don't understand anymore...

---

"Don't make it too tight, now, Niisama. I won't be able to move!"

"Kumo-chan, you're going to be up there in the fountain. If I leave this as loose as you're asking me to, everyone's gonna be able to see right up your kimono. And you'll be showing way too much leg for a ceremony like this."

A giggle as the firm hands tugged the silk slip and its cotton underlayer a little closer around the smooth, slim body. "You're always way too protective of me, Kiri-niisama. It's not like anyone would try anything, even if they could. I'd be too high up for them to bother... and besides, isn't this what you're my bodyguard for?"

"Of course I'm protective of you... I'm your _brother." _Tug. "This is your first time as a ritual dancer... I want everything to be absolutely perfect." Tug. "Hold yourself shut, here. I don't want anyone thinking stuff like that about my baby brother, either. You're supposed to be _graceful and ethereal. _Not sexy. So, no showing them your thighs, or your panties. This thing already makes your legs look a mile long, which is bad enough." All the while, the hands were steadily tying the crimson obi. "I'll leave this down, since you decided you didn't want a butterfly bow. It'll hang open just to your knees, which should give you room to move. Okay?"

"Like you'll let me answer any other way." More giggling. "Pick me up, Niichan-!"

The hands moved back to brush a fluff of crimson hair out of equally crimson eyes. Kiri Madoushi looked at his little brother, shook his head, and smiled. At nineteen years of age, he was tall (six feet and two inches, to be precise) and built with the wiry strength of his people: the only muscle his years of swordsmanship training had given him was a tough, hard layer over his body that showed no visible bulge unless he wanted to show it off. His features were sharp, with slanted, angular almond eyes, strong brows that had a tendency to point down, giving him a mischievous look, and points to his chin, cheekbones, and the tip of his nose. He'd let his crimson hair grow long, and it fell in tufts down to his waist; the three spikes on his forehead were long and deadly-looking, with fluffs of red parting around them. Unlike a normal human, the soft down all over his body had never curled or coarsened; it had just stayed silky baby hair, giving him a smoother body that might be harder to get a hold on in a fight. He wore his red swordsman's uniform at the moment--long sleeved shirt, form-fitting pants, and voluminous cloak, with his Mist-belt and swordbelt fastened over it.

"Okay, then, Kumo-chan. Be ready..."

Kiri ducked down, put his right hand behind his brother's ankles, and flipped him up into his arms bridal-style, spinning him around. The giggles returned, quickly becoming squeals of delight. When Kiri finally slowed, stopped, and dropped into a sitting position, they died away into gasps for breath, though the childishly innocent smile didn't go away. Kumo was and had always been a sweet boy; he and Kiri adored each other.

Kumo, at sixteen years, was a study of similarity and contrast to his brother. Where Kiri was all sharpness and angularity, Kumo was softness and curves. His thin brows, full cheeks, gently rounded chin, and the upward curve to the tip of his nose gave him a baby face; his jadeine-green almond eyes were wider than his brother's, with less of a slant and more of a tilt, and his lips were soft and plush. He was four inches shorter than Kiri, and his body was built on an even more slender frame. Unlike his brother, Kumo wore his soft white hair short; silky tufts framed his face and the seven sharp spikes on his forehead; a few stray strands fell around the ivory nape of his neck. The thin choker of periwinkle ribbon drawn around the base of his throat ended in a long ribbon that floated around his form whenever he moved; the snap that connected it was once again right at the nape, which all of Kumo's clothes left exposed. That, the soft earlobes that the short white hair didn't hide, and the amount of skin that the swordsman's uniform and ceremonial kimono left exposed was all the 'sexy' Kiri could take from his brother.

The kimono itself was beautiful. Its silk folds fell softly to Kumo's ankles; the white yukata beneath it and the thin layer of cloth Kumo had fastened around his waist beforehand gave him a perfectly cylindrical silhouette. The cloth was necessary--while Kumo didn't exactly have an hourglass waistline, he was slim enough that it would disrupt the idealistic form of the kimono if he went without. The kimono's color went through shades of light blue to white, starting from the sleeves, shoulders, eri, and hem; in the darker areas, patterns of silver thread created fine, delicate snowflakes. The obi that Kumo had chosen to go with it was solid crimson; though his role as a dancer dictated that he wear his kimono a little looser than usual, when the whole thing was put together, it looked perfect.

Kiri told him as much.

"Do you think I'll do well?" Kumo asked shyly, snuggling closer into his brother's arms.

"Of course," Kiri replied, tenderness that only Kumo saw in his voice. "You've been practicing so much. Your body knows how. Trust it."

"Unn..." The little swordsman leaned up to catch his brother's lips with his own.

The kiss was slow and gentle; it stayed that way even after Kiri slipped his tongue into Kumo's mouth. Their hold on each other remained tender; neither one's hands roamed. The rhythm of their breathing stabilized, synchronizing; the beating of their hearts already fell into a perfect harmony and needed no adjusting. Neither one shifted; it was as though both wanted to avoid the danger of such things, knowing where it might lead.

When at last they came apart, Kumo blinked up at his brother out of eyes filled with soft longing. "When?" he asked dreamily.

"Not yet," Kiri replied, a note of sternness to his voice.

"Why?"

"Because you're still a baby. We're already promised to each other. When the life-bond is complete, then I'll take you to bed. But not until. ...I love you."

Kumo smiled, closed his eyes, and snuggled still closer. "And I you."

Kiri shook his head, though he smiled back. "Come on. You'd better go... everyone's waiting, after all. Give us a performance to be proud of."

---

The crowds had already gathered at the fountain in the central area of the stone city. Kiri idly rested his hand on the hilt of his Maken; he didn't want to deal with trouble any more than he wanted his dear Kumo's day ruined. As this ceremony--held annually in order to guarantee Mystaria's continued safety--was the most important _and _the most ancient of their people's rituals, all who were present were traditionally dressed: Those who had no specialized callings were clad in kimono, healers wore their fluid robes, and the swordsmen and summoners of the city were duly armed. Kiri caught a glimpse of his parents in the crowd; his father wore the same swordsman's clothing his son did, but in his own shades of midnight blue. His mother, Mystaria's last guardian user, wore the short, open kunoichi's kimono, tight leggings, a low-set obi tied in a practical bow, and lengths of linen that bound her small breasts nearly flat. Catching his gaze, Kageshi smiled briefly; Madori nodded. Kiri stood a little straighter, gave them a tiny bow, and returned to scanning the crowds.

The excited murmurs gave way to dead silence as the waves of people parted for Kumo and his honorary guard. Kiri, watching, stifled a scowl; as soon as he'd left, Kumo had tugged his kimono further open; the slit in the side once again parted with each step to show a tantalizing glimpse of smooth ivory leg. Kumo was young and innocent, but not so young that people wouldn't begin to whisper at such a display. Kiri hadn't wanted to have any more secret fist fights to settle the issue of his brother's honor (he might occasionally harbor a brief fantasy about the day when he and Kumo would at last make love, but he would tolerate no such perversity in others--he was every inch the overprotective big brother he seemed).

Dusk traced her fingers across the cloudscape; the spiritual steps to the top of the fountain shimmered into existence.

Putting aside his irritation, Kiri watched with reverence as the two members of the honorary guard helped Kumo mount the silver stair. Neither one followed him as the young swordsman ascended to the small circle of water atop the fountain; the steps vanished as soon as they were relieved of Kumo's weight. Watching closely, Kiri saw that Kumo's expression was peaceful, almost dreamlike. To his brother, it was an obvious cover for Kumo's deep anxiety.

Kiri understood well Kumo's almost hysteric worries about this dance. It was the highest honor to be chosen for the ritual; it had taken months of training for little Kumo to get the steps right. And for still more months after he'd gotten the basics down, the poor child had been unable to stand on the surface of the water, making the element believe through his connection to the Way that sustained him that he was no heavier than a stray leaf. Kiri could remember the tears of frustration, the fits of despair, the tightly bandaged, bleeding feet and the broken nails that had driven deeply into his baby brother's flesh. The ritual, as well as Kumo's high expectations for himself and his aching pride, demanded absolute perfection.

After so long, it had all come down to this.

Taking a deep breath, Kumo stepped onto the water, letting his long thin white sword raise into the sky above him. He made the sign for peace, his slender hands tracing the delicate symbol in the air.

And the dance begun.

While Kiri still disliked how high up the kimono's skirts flew, he grudgingly accepted the fact that the flowing fabric accentuated Kumo's every move, giving an echo effect that enhanced the beauty of his motions. In the instant before the fountain's jets began to slowly project water, Kiri caught sight of his brother's face--the blankness was still there, but visible beneath it, there was strain, even agony; the pupils of Kumo's jadeine eyes had widened to the point where even the low light of the sunset had to be unbearable. There was also a distinct element of sensuality that Kiri had never noticed in the dance before (perhaps because he'd never been allowed to stand so close to the fountain itself). Below the sheath of silk and cotton, Kumo's thin chest was rising and falling heavily with his labored, albeit silent, breathing. His parted lips were swollen, and the motion of his hands seemed almost to caress an invisible form. The kimono had long ago stopped even helping to cover Kumo's long slim legs, and every time the slit pulled tight around his hip, Kiri caught his breath. To his distinct embarrassment for his baby brother, a tiny corner of white was starting to show at the top of the slit; Kiri groaned inwardly and hoped that no one else would notice.

The jets of water propelled Kumo still higher as the sky darkened around them. The slender hands began to trace through the crystalline droplets, turning them to sparkling prisms of light when the last of the sun's rays hit them. Kumo's body shone with moisture; Kiri realized with alarm that not all of it was water. His little brother was literally covered in a fine layer of perspiration.

_How can he keep this up? _Kiri wondered silently, his heart jolting in sudden fear. Kumo was still too young, too fragile to stand the heavy demands of the dance. Last year's dancer had been twenty-five, and Kumo was just sixteen...

But Kumo, it seemed, had more strength in him than Kiri had bargained for. Face set almost stubbornly, the young swordsman began the powerful, demanding strokes of the dance's climax, starting to trace the runes that would grant Mystaria its protection from the evils that swathed the world.

As Kumo lit each inscription, the insignia painted on the stone buildings in ancient times glowed, responding to the magic. It wouldn't be long before the end...

Fiercely, Kumo reached up and gripped the hilt of his sword, slicing thin lines in the flow of water with its fine blade, the blade that never lost its edge.

And darkness fell.

At first the serpentine writhing sound behind Kiri was an annoyance; when one of the glass-ball lamps exploded, casting darkness over that part of the city, the red-clad swordsman realized, grabbed the hilt of his sword, and whirled, transfixing one of the misshapen creatures that was crawling through the portal made from his own shadow.

It began as a murmur, then quickly became a screamed warning: "Heartless! It's the Heartless!"

Kiri's iron training took hold, and he called to his people, his shouts rising above the panicked cries of the populace. "Citizens to the safety of the buildings whose seals have already been activated! All those with the ability to fight, to me! The dancer _must _be protected at all costs! Kumo, there's nothing you can do! Just keep dancing!"

Mystaria took heed. Some people bolted for safety; others decided to stand and fight the shadowy creatures that sprang up in every spot of pure darkness. Kumo, who would have faltered, continued to activate the sigils.

Kiri stayed as close to the fountain as he could. Heartless were springing up like a plague of black flies; at night, their threat was greatest since they could pop out of anyone's shadow. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his own parents fighting--his father was trying to shield his mother, who stood in the middle of calling one of her guardians, oblivious to the danger she risked and whatever damage she happened to take.

_I wish I could risk a Summon myself. _Kiri knew that the precious seconds it would take to draw a Mist bottle and configure the commands were seconds that couldn't be spared unless he was under guard; it was too possible for some Heartless to shatter the bottle, causing the Summon to fail at best or at worst twisting the creature inside into something horrible, something out of anyone's control.

Kiri was so occupied fighting off the minor Heartless that threatened the fountain's base that perhaps he didn't see the great darkness that blotted out the stars.

Kumo had almost completed the dance. All he had to do was cast the final mark, the master sigil, and their people would be safe for one more year.

When he opened his eyes, readying himself to swing the tip of his sword down and ignite the seal...

...he saw the alien, evil thickness surround him and froze.

Something man-shaped was moving behind the inky curtain.

Kiri looked up after beheading one particularly troublesome Heartless to see the figure of a tall, brawny human step out of the curtain of darkness that had swept towards Kumo's helpless, paralyzed form and reach forward.

The hand seemed almost to move in slow motion, colliding with Kumo's chest.

It slid easily past the kimono, past skin and muscle and bone.

When the strange man who had walked out of evil ripped something small and glowing from the body of the child before him, time snapped into normal speed again.

Kumo cried out as blood burst from his chest, his eyes wide in horror and pain, his sword clattering to the cobbled street from his nerveless grip. With a soft sob, he fell backwards. The man stepped back into the darkness, which vanished.

No new Heartless appeared. The battles with the existing ones continued, but Kiri didn't realize that. He leaped up into the low bowl of the fountain, catching and cradling his dear Kumo's body as he fell.

The little swordsman was trembling violently, his breath coming in white streams of Mist, his face seeming frighteningly shadowed with deep slashes of violet beneath his eyes. "Kiri..." he managed in a voice so faint his brother had to strain to hear it. Feeling warm wetness touch his chest and arms, Kiri looked down; there was an ugly bloodstain spreading across his baby brother's chest, rapid and uncontrollable. "Oh, Kiri..." Reaching out with his trembling right hand, Kumo brushed his brother's cheek with the tips of his fingers, then fell back, collapsing in his love's arms.

"Kumo...? Kumo...!" _This isn't happening. This _CAN'T _be happening! Oh, God... Oh, God... _"Please... say something...! Kumo... KUMO!"

With shaking hands, Kiri pulled open the front of Kumo's sodden kimono, thinking to judge the severity of the wound.

And stared into the torn, broken chest cavity of his dear little brother, into the hollow where once his heart had been before the accursed man in the darkness had ripped it out. He stared, and stared, and stared as the hollow filled with the blood of the ruptured arteries and veins that had been attached to that one vital clump of muscle, stared at the labored spasms of the gray-pink lungs, stared as a line of blood traced from Kumo's mouth as he coughed weakly, unconscious and dying.

"Oh, God...!"

(TBC)


	2. Circumstances

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the prelude

Helplessness.

Kiri had never hated the feeling more than he did at that instant.

Someone had managed to pull him into one of the buildings. He knew that much. He didn't know who had done it, or where he was. His eyes had never left Kumo's rapidly whitening face.

Everything was going wrong. The ritual had failed. The town was open to attack from the Heartless. And poor Kumo... had become their latest victim.

No one knew how long the Heartless had been there. No one knew why they had appeared. What little was known had been passed from generation to generation in hushed whispers. Basically, the Heartless were mostly comprised of elemental creatures, perversions of pure darkness. As Kiri had just witnessed firsthand, as they were made of darkness, they could use just about any pure darkness as a kind of portal; you had to watch your own shadow fanatically when walking through a Heartless-ridden area because at any moment it might begin to twist, writhe, and swell, becoming some bizarre beast.

All in all, they could be formidable foes, especially if they attacked in groups, which they often did.

But that wasn't why the Heartless were so feared and hated.

They finished their victims by taking their hearts, both figuratively and literally.

A victim of the Heartless is subject to one of two fates. The weak-willed and untrained often dissolve into smoke as soon as their heart is taken. The strong-willed linger on, either comatose or slowly losing their soul as their heart is taken further away from their body. But even the strong-willed would quickly die, in all but the luckiest cases--blood loss and lack of oxygen would inevitably kill them, without a physical heart to direct the blood's flow.

Kumo would quickly fall prey to the second doom. As Kiri looked on, holding him close but unable to do anything, his hemorrhaging grew more and more violent. Blood welled out of the poor child's chest cavity as he trembled uncontrollably and gasped pitifully, trying to reach the oxygen he couldn't get. His lips and hands were tinted deathly blue; the agonized Kiri realized that his dear baby brother was literally drowning in his own blood.

And there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Move!"

Shocked, Kiri looked up through vision blurred with tears. The indistinct figure of a woman stood over him. He couldn't see her face, but he could tell by her stance that she was both impatient and very worried.

"Put him down, you fool!"

After a moment's hesitation, Kiri complied, lying his brother down face-up on the floor. The woman brushed past him, knelt on Kumo's other side, and extended her right hand over his gaping chest, whispering words in a language he didn't know.

Through his anguish, Kiri took the opportunity to examine her. She was of average height for a human, about five and a half feet tall, with very long hair the color of silver moonlight. She had an oval face with fair features and blue-green eyes that in some other circumstance might have been considered sleepy. Not now. At the moment they were focused, hard, and glittering with concentration. Slim oval jewels dangled from her earlobes, and a smooth, circular magenta-colored gemstone hung at the center of her simple circlet. She was clothed sensibly for travel in a dress of sturdy and clingy material; the arms and shoulders were golden-yellow, the rest dusky blue. She wore strap-up sandals; the straps were sky-blue silk and tied in bows at the back of her calves. Oddly, her fingernails were carefully painted in a particularly lovely shade of teal. In her left hand was clenched a bloody iron chakram--she'd apparently gone through a few Heartless to get here.

That was another thing--she wasn't Mystarian. She was an ordinary human.

Frowning, Kiri realized that she seemed somehow familiar. He stared at this strange woman as she continued to murmur in that odd language, scrutinizing her until it clicked. He'd heard her described before--by his baby brother.

"You're..." he began, suspicion creeping into his voice.

At the same moment, the woman slumped back on her heels, sighing in exhaustion and swiping her wrist across her forehead. "There," she said softly, the edge driven out of her voice, which Kiri suddenly realized had a motherly, gentle tone to it. "That spell will only hold for a year at best, but as long as it does, he'll remain alive." At Kiri and the others' incredulous stares, she sighed again. "I reconstructed the blood path. In the absence of a physical heart, it will direct his circulatory system, but it's only meant to be temporary. The only hope left is for someone to retrieve his heart, and quickly, so that someone who still possesses the arts can restore it." A slight frown drew a crease between her well-shaped brows. "I only wish I could do more."

"Who _are _you...?" one of Mystaria's few healers, a young man named Kohaku, asked, pure awe in his voice. "How did you do that?"

The woman looked up, shoved her hair out of her face, and locked eyes with him, absently stroking Kumo's hair. "It was really an improvisation, nothing more. Spellcraft is... a strength of my kind." Turning to Kiri, she gave him a piercing look that seemed to come from behind her eyes instead of directly from them. It made his back prickle with jarred nerves. "Your brother told me about you, Kiri Madoushi... it is an honor to meet the one who has claimed my dear student's heart so completely." The right hand was suddenly before him; he took it hesitantly. "I... am known as Fabula Kronos."

"I knew it." Kiri's voice was flat with relief, but he was glad to have been right, although this woman's presence was starting to really unnerve him. Kumo had told him about her, this woman who came to him in dreams... Fabula, the Guide. As far as records went, the very last of her kind.

Guides lived for millenia on end, their biological clocks frozen so that they always appeared to be the age they had been when initiated. Fabula, for example, was probably eons old, but she seemed to be a young woman in her mid-twenties. They were known to appear to certain individuals in dreams to give tutelage and (as the title implies) guidance. Guides lived on a separate plane and were notorious for being unable to directly interfere with mortal life, and most of them were just as notorious for hating it and using every loophole they knew of to get around it. From what Kumo had told his brother, Fabula was no exception. As far as Kiri knew, she was breaking about five thousand different laws of nature just by being here, let alone saving Kumo's life.

Kiri opened his mouth to ask, looking between this figure of legend and his brother, but she cut him off before he could even say it. "He's my _responsibility. _And things have been happening in this world that... I can't just be expected to sit back and do nothing _again, _not now. I won't. The 'way things are' can bite me. Frankly, I don't give a damn right now."

_She's a good person, and the best listener in the world, but... when you get her on the subject of her job, she gets really scary... _That was what Kumo had told him. Kiri believed it.

No one knew exactly why Kumo was being Guided, but he'd vividly described visits from this woman since he was a young child. The way he put it, he and Fabula had been best friends from day one, and since their first meeting, only Kiri and their parents had been closer to him. All anyone knew besides that fact was that Kumo was the first person in over a century to receive visits from a Guide.

"You said that there's some way to save him...? Some way... that I can save my brother?" Kiri asked impatiently. He needed to know. And besides... part of him just wanted her to stop staring at the wall like she was going to kill it.

"He _might _live, IF his heart is retrieved and IF someone is able to restore it to his body. The art of doing so is almost lost to this world. But yes, there is a possibility... IF the one who's doing the retrieving is ready to go through the Heartless for it."

Kiri looked down at his dear brother's face. Kumo's skin was still bluish-white, but he wasn't gasping for breath anymore; that fact alone eased ten thousand pounds of worry from Kiri's shoulders. The soft black lashes of his eyes brushed the gray-violet shadow slashes beneath them, the same way they'd brushed the perfect ivory cheeks just that morning. His soft lips were parted; every exhalation let a haze of Mist into the surrounding area. Without his heart--his _soul, _really--present, Kumo couldn't exercise any control over the glands in his throat that produced the vapor. Soft, silky tufts of hair spilled gently over his forehead; the parental part of Kiri's consciousness had his fingers itching to straighten them. Giving in to the impulse, he did; bending as he finished to gently kiss Kumo's cheek. As he pulled away, he slipped his left hand under the back of his brother's neck, finding the tiny circle of steel there. Pressing down on it, Kiri watched as a sheath of metal slid around the lower half of Kumo's face.

"He'll be able to breathe, but the Mist won't get through," he said softly.

The lovely blue-and-white kimono, Kumo's favorite, his sixteenth-birthday gift from his mother, was ruined, sodden with already-crusting blood. It had absorbed the heavy flood from its owner's mutilated chest, and would never be the perfect white of new-fallen snow again. No new blood filled Kumo's open chest cavity; now, a delicate, ghostly tracery of magical veins formed the cast of what was lost, directing the flow to his lungs and the important arteries that would deliver the oxygen to his vital organs. But still, the mere sight of the wound made Kiri want to collapse facedown over his brother's body, sobbing. It took every ounce of self-control to keep from doing it.

Instead, he pulled his hand from the kimono and realized that his fingertips were a bright, solid cherry red from Kumo's blood. As he stared, thin rivulets of the thick liquid traced down to his palm.

_"Pick me up, Niichan-!"_

Something tore at his chest, blurred his vision. The pain was unbearable. Why did it have to be Kumo? He was... just a baby...

But now, that child's innocence lay broken before him in the comatose body that was still all too close to being a corpse.

_"I love you, Niisama. I can't wait until the life-bonding... I love you so much, it hurts...!"_

And the bastards who had done this... would pay.

_"Daisuki, Niisama... suki!"_

Kiri clenched his fist, curling his fingers so tightly around Kumo's blood that his nails bit into his palm, drawing pricks of his own blood to mix with his love's.

"I'll do it. I don't care what the odds are. Those damn Heartless... are gonna pay... and no matter what, I _will _get my brother's heart back. ...I swear it."

Feeling the familiar psychic protection of anger slide over him, Kiri stood and started for the door.

The blow to the back of his head took him completely by surprise.

Covering the injured spot with both hands, he whirled, indignant, and stared at Fabula, who stood behind him with a chakram in each hand. "What was that for!"

"You know, for all that Kumo told me about you, he never warned me that you were such an idiot," she replied in a caustic tone that made him step back, unnerved. "What are you thinking! No, don't answer, I doubt you'll even have one. You're just going to walk out, march down to the first Heartless you see, and demand that they give you Kumo's heart back? Don't make me laugh! You don't know where you're going or what dangers you'll be facing--you're even prepared to go running out alone, without rest or supplies. What about your parents? You won't even let them know you're going? And what about Kumo? Are you just going to leave his body here, without any protection other than that of the helpless citizens of Mystaria? _Think rationally. _If you don't, you won't last a single day out in the world. You know nothing about the surface and nothing about those who live there. There are many more Heartless than you would believe possible down there, terrorizing the cities and boxing in the people. You'll need a plan, otherwise you'll end up just like Kumo or worse--you could even become one of them, one of their living puppets whose hearts have been removed without that kind of damage. We have to stay here for the night, form some kind of plan, and set things in order before we leave. Honestly."

Kiri glowered, then blinked. "What do you mean, 'we'?"

Fabula gave him a wan smile. "I told you. I'm responsible for Kumo's well-being as his Guide. And besides... I thought we'd established that you weren't going by yourself." Calmer now, she gently placed a hand on Kiri's shoulder. "You have to rest. Don't rush in blindly. We have to succeed for so many reasons... remember that your little brother's soul is at stake."

Reluctantly, Kiri nodded, giving in to exhaustion and grief.

"Come on," she murmured to him, leading him towards the emergency futons in the back of the stone building's first floor. "Lie down and get some rest."

---

"Let the mercenaries in."

As the heavy, iron-plated double doors creaked open, the young ambassador of the fiefdom straightened her necktie, trying not to look as anxious as she felt. Once she'd tightened the length of red cloth, she resettled her grip on the five-foot solid maplewood staff beside her. With the growing threat of the armies of Heartless and their increasingly dire attacks on the fief, as well as the disappearance of its lady, the lord had decided that his children had to be gotten out before they fell. He'd looked over the few civilians who had offered to be bodyguards, but had gently insisted that they stay. Their strength would be needed before the end.

No one had answered his summons, until now.

The two mercenaries who were called at this moment into the castle hall had managed to power their way through the ring of Heartless surrounding the castle and enter, bringing a thin, weak ray of hope to the bereft people. There would always be hope, so long as the children could escape.

As the two forms of these unwitting heroes passed through the doors, the lord of the fiefdom gave the nervous ambassador a reassuring look. She fidgeted, and sighed. She knew she ought to be more accepting of her fate, but she didn't want to die here at the hands of the Heartless... and she especially didn't want her divine gift to die with her.

She was a young woman in her early twenties, with waist-length blue-black hair, kindly brown eyes, and a figure that was both voluptuous and well-trained in martial arts. Aside from the necktie, she wore her uniform--orange waistcoat, white shirt beneath it, navy blue skirt, and calf-length leather stretch boots. Her features were soft, Eastern, and expressive; she wasn't able to hide her emotions any more than a child. It was little wonder that her lord liege could read her so well. Everyone could. And it hurt the people to see her, who was always quicker to smile than frown and was constantly covering her own discomfort with an obviously fake laugh, despairing and afraid.

"It's alright, Lisa," the lord said softly. She nodded, but didn't respond. Her heart just wasn't in it.

The lord himself was a middle-aged man with chestnut-brown hair, eyes of a similar shade, large-framed glasses, a lightly lined face, a sad smile, and a physique that suggested he'd been a strong worker in his younger years. He and his wife had been the diplomats of the kingdom... before the Heartless had swelled and all contact with the capital had been lost, anyway. He had a preference for simple, functionality-over-appearance clothing; they marked his respect for his people and their work, as well as his refusal to be one of the snobbish nobles who scorned the lower classes. The people of the fief responded to this attitude with adoration. He was as respected as he was loved. Even before the threat of the Heartless had tested the limits of his considerable skill as a ruler, the citizens of the kingdom had spoken the name of Joseph Hayakawa with reverence. And now... the very fact that the fiefdom still existed after years of barrage by the Heartless was proof enough that he was just about as good a leader as there could be.

As the two mercenaries made their way down the hall, the attention of the assembly turned to them. They were both wore almost exclusively black, and had the grim countenance of those few who managed to survive as strays in the harsh world subjugated by the Heartless. The man was tall and gaunt, nearly skeletal; while Lisa judged he was naturally tall and thin, having to live in this cruel world had cost him, dragging him to this emaciated state. He hid his painful lack of healthy weight beneath a thick black cloak; his long mahogany-brown hair was pulled back into a horsetail. Ragged bangs fell into a long, scarred face, half-obscuring haunted cerulean eyes. His features were Western, prominent, and angular, with strong straight brows, a sharp nose with a dark line drawn from cheekbone to cheekbone across it, and thick lips that were arranged in what seemed to be a permanent scowl. His skin was a pale tan that should've been darker but wasn't for some reason Lisa couldn't guess--blood loss? fear? anger? She had no idea.

The woman was shorter than her companion--her head only came up to his shoulder, but that was natural, as he was unusually tall--but nearly as gaunt as he was. The wide-sleeved black dress clung to her slim form, hugging sharp shoulders, jutting hips, and small breasts. Its hem ended a few inches above her knees; from there to the tops of her black ankle boots, her legs were bare. Two thick, usage-scarred leather belts crossed her waist; at the lowest point of each hung a holster. And in each holster was a gleaming silver gun. The belts themselves were covered with little pouches made to hold individual bullets. Her thick, dull silver hair was pinned strictly into braids; the two larger ones stuck obstinately up while the two smaller ones curved attractively around her face. Her features weren't quite so obviously Western as her companion's; despite her weight loss, she still had a girl's soft cheeks and full lips. Heavy bangs fell into the face that was younger than Lisa's, but they didn't hide the eyes that were much older than the ambassador's. Those eyes were wide, alert, and challenging; they were frosty gray, rimmed by thick, spidery black lashes that enhanced their chilling effect still further.

Lisa couldn't bear to meet either of the mercenaries' eyes. One pair was filled with horror, the other with a strange apathy that frightened her for some reason she couldn't understand.

Joseph stood up and bowed deeply to the pair. "I welcome you... and no one wishes more than I that I could welcome you in a time of peace. Once you have replenished your strength and supplies here, I have need of your services. If nothing else, please hear me out.

"A few years ago, our contact with the king and prince of this nation was lost. We waited for the messengers who were due, but none came. Last year, my wife Mary..." at this, the lord swallowed hard "led an expedition to see if any survived there or if the Heartless had taken over. She... she's a trained warrior and explorer, as well as a diplomat as I am, but... neither she nor any members of her party ever returned.

"Not long after that, the Heartless began to attack us. At first, it was only small groups. They were defeated easily, and we thought we were still safe. We were wrong. A few months ago, the army came in full force. We've been unable to break the siege since.

"Our fiefdom can't hold out much longer. With each battle, we lose too many... killed, hearts removed... our strength is growing thin. Before long, we will fall... we know this. But...

"I... have two children. A daughter, and a son. They are my hope... and the hope of this castle. As long as they escape, and are protected, we will know our deaths are not in vain.

"Please. I beg you, warriors from a foreign land, to get my children out of this place. Become a bodyguard for them... protect them for as long as you can. You are our last option. Please consider my request while you rest here. I don't need an answer from you until tomorrow."

"We'll do it," the woman said immediately.

Joseph Hayakawa blinked.

"We need food, water, and money," she went on rapidly. "Hunting only does so much in this world, and we're only so far from being forced to sell our bodies to get some means of sustaining ourselves. And my brother and I... no longer have a home to go back to."

The lord nodded at last. "Of course your offer will be accepted. You'll be completely resupplied before you leave... and we'll send our last war chocobo with you, in order to carry the children. They aren't used to the pace you'll keep." He paused, then said softly, "There is someone else who I would like to accompany you.

"Lisa Pacifist..."

She jumped to her feet. "Yes, my lord."

"Lisa is a healer; she's the last in this world who possesses the arts of heart recovery. She's too valuable to perish here with the rest of us. She's going with you."

The world tilted, swaying viciously. "My lord, I beg of you, pardon me. I thought I heard you say..."

"You're going, Lisa." Joseph's tone brooked absolutely no argument. "You may not feel right doing it, but you must. It's a direct order from your superior."

As usual, he knew what she felt even before she did. Guilt was already worming through her body. She sighed and hung her head, knowing that arguing would be useless. "Yes, my lord."

The black-clad woman shook her head, rolled her eyes, and turned to her brother. But as she was about to speak, he let out a low grunt of pain and dropped to one knee.

Wide-eyed with shock and fear, the woman knelt beside him, gripping his shoulders. "Kaze-niisan! What's wrong? Don't tell me that... in that battle...!"

Lisa vaulted over the half-wall before her, clutching her staff, and dashed to the mercenary named Kaze's side. His too-pale face was contorted in a grimace of pain; his left hand weakly clutched at his right, which lay beneath his heavy cloak. Something in his countenance made her chest hurt, she realized as she brought her staff around, touching the rose crystal at its head to his heaving breast. There was just something about that look of agony that reached out and grabbed you...

Shaking her head, Lisa focused her power and tried to exude the sense of calming that was half the battle. "Easy... easy, now. This may hurt a little, but try not to fight me." Using the crystal as a medium, she let energy stream from her body to his.

And felt the cold claws of an all-too-familiar evil grasp at her chest.

Flinching, Lisa broke the contact, staring wide-eyed at this bizarre mercenary. Her initial impression was right--he had been the source of the unnatural coldness. The grimace had faded from his features; those frighteningly haunted eyes of his were closed, making him look tired and a little forlorn. Whatever it was, he _seemed _to be unaware of it...

"There's..." She hated having to say it, but her duty as a healer was to tell the truth and not tone it down for her patient. "There's something wrong with your heart..."

His sister's anger flared. "What the hell are you talking about! My brother--"

"Aura..." the mercenary said softly. She fell silent, still giving Lisa a hate-filled glare.

Lisa, still kneeling, didn't speak. It had seemed to her, as it had to her lord and all their people, that the coming of these warriors would be their salvation.

But they had a secret.

One that could prove to be deadly.

(TBC)


	3. Darkside

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the prelude

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In this chapter (and probably the next), characters from various media will make brief cameos. Tidus, Yuna, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Rau, Squall, and everyone else do not belong to me. Thassall.

With a sigh, Kiri sat heavily on the broken stone of the court.

Once they'd gotten going, he and Fabula had made very good time--within twelve hours, they'd reached the Tower of the Heavens, the only pathway from Mystaria's realm to the lower world.

He was about to leave the only world he'd ever known.

The people of Mystaria considered themselves, and were in truth, a species apart from normal humans. Taller and slimmer than their cousins, born with draconic spikes on their foreheads, they possessed the power of flight and an organ that other humanoid races didn't--a gland in the throat that produced a magical vapor known as Mist. Centuries ago, the Mystarians had learned to harness the power of their Mist and the other latent abilities they possessed to summon the Ittenju, serpentine sword dragons tied to their race. Due to that and their appearances, they were treated with distrust and suspicion by most other humans. After an ancient war with the earthbound kingdom of Windaria, they had fled the world of the others in order to prevent more bloodshed.

With the aid of their patron gods, or so the legends said, they constructed a barrier between their part of the world and the human one, building the treacherous Tower of the Heavens as a way from one to the other. Since then, their race had lived on a solid layer of clouds, in stone-wrought cities protected by magical barriers that a chosen dancer reactivated every year. Their people were many, but as children of Tao, they considered themselves one, united by the Way that guided them through life. The cities were many, but to the people who lived in them, all were Mystaria.

Kiri had been born in his city. He'd ventured over the vast cloudscape surrounding it and been to a few other parts of their scattered nation, but he had never truly left Mystaria in his life. What Fabula had said before, about his knowing nothing about life on the ground, was true. Neither he nor Kumo nor anyone he'd ever met had ventured to the surface, though it was rumored that groups of traders from all the humanoid races met in the Tower every few years to exchange goods. He'd never bothered to learn about it. Both his parents had stressed firmly to him that if he ever chose to descend to the lower world, he would only meet rejection and pain. Humans focused too much about what one looked like--Mystaria had never forgotten the betrayal of the ancient prejudice.

And now he was about to go there himself, and see with his own eyes if it really was that bad.

Fabula's sigh brought him back to reality. He looked up at her as she walked over to him, swept her long silver hair out of the way, and sat next to him. "Rest while you can," she said softly. "It's a dangerous road ahead. You have to be on your guard when we go through that tower."

Kiri blinked at her, perplexed. "Is it really... the situation with the Heartless is really that bad on the ground? Impossible..."

"It's nearly, but that wasn't my point," Fabula replied, leaning back and closing her eyes. "A few years ago... when it started getting that way down there... the Heartless took over this tower."

"Oh."

"And aside from the path, it's pitch-black in there. Perfect for them."

Kiri winced. Between his parents and this enigmatic Guide, he was really starting to dislike the idea of going down to the ground.

He needed to change the topic.

"So where are we going, anyway?" He'd been wondering for a while. "After we reach the other side, I mean... where are they likely to take Kumo's heart?"

Fabula shot him a dirty look. "I don't know _everything,_ you idiot."

Kiri glared right back. "But you're a Guide. Shouldn't you be able to figure it out?"

"I live on a separate plane. I haven't been to this world for a very, very long time."

"Like, how long?" Something else he'd been wondering.

Fabula turned to face him, crossing her arms. "Well, I was initated when I was twenty-six. I lost count after I hit five hundred twenty-six. Decided it didn't really matter, since I wasn't getting any older. Birthdays kind of lose the importance when there's nobody to celebrate them with. And believe me, that was quite some time ago."

"But since you've been Guiding people, doesn't that mean you've kept contact?" Kiri argued. "You should still have _some _idea."

"Guides don't know _everything, _Madoushi! This world is damn big, and I've only been here for brief snippets when I was able to find some loophole I could use to say I wasn't directly interfering!" Her eyes were taking on that angry glint again, and her not-quite-frown had become a sharp scowl. "I don't have much time for sightseeing, even when I am cooped up in the tiny little box they have the nerve to refer to as my 'palace'! I have to watch the future. I have to know the possibilities ahead of us!"

"Well, can't you use your big, important Guide powers to figure it out, then, Kronos?" Kiri's temper had hit the end of its all-too-short leash and felt like it was going to rip out the stake that was just barely holding it. "You should be able to do that, at least!"

Anger was fueled by a prick of annoyance; those dangerous blue-green eyes flashed. "I can't use most of my powers here. And besides..." The anger drained suddenly, leaving Fabula looking somewhat tired. "By coming here, I've already..."

"Already...?" Kiri prompted when she trailed off, his voice grating.

But Fabula shook her head, her expression closed and pensive. "Never mind. It's not really important anyway. What's already done can't be changed." Kiri recognized the look on her face--his supposedly innocent and carefree brother had worn it too often for his liking. It was a worrying-but-trying-to-hide-it expression, a secretive expression, a perturbed one. When Kumo had worn it, it usually meant he was in trouble or afraid but unwilling to let his big brother in on what was bothering him.

What was this woman hiding?

Kiri knew he wouldn't get anywhere by just asking, so he didn't say anything. Instead, he looked out across the horizon, his gaze teasing the edges of the cloudscape.

All he'd ever known. All he'd ever seen.

And now... he would have to say goodbye.

---

Lisa looked around one last time and sighed.

She and the two mercenaries, Kaze and Aura, were standing in the middle of the guardhouse that formed a corner of the castle wall. One of the guardsmen was also with them, but that was just to hold on to the chocobo who was supposed to be accompanying them to carry the children.

Lisa had traded her starched diplomat's uniform for much more practical travel clothes. She now wore a dress of thick but form-fitting orange material that conformed perfectly to her body and a pair of armwarmers made from the same fabric. Instead of the shiny stretch boots, she'd put on thick, tough leather half-boots that were made for tromping through rough terrain. Over all this, she wore a cobalt blue hooded cloak with a simple opal disk for a brooch. She held her familiar staff in her hand; she caressed its silky-smooth wood for comfort. The belts slung over her hips supported pouches of different sizes; these held healing herbs, emergency supplies of nuts and water, and powders she could use to cast brightness and truth spells.

Kaze and Aura still wore their stern black; neither of them was hooded. Their dark outfits needed no concealing; since their hair was dark too, they were off the hook in that matter.

Between pieces of plate armor, their chocobo bore most of their supplies. Large, burlap-and-leather bags strapped to the big bird's flanks carried vital food, water, bandages, and salves. Kaze carried the small party's money with him--his forbidding appearance would probably deter pickpockets, though it wasn't likely that they would encounter any in these troubled times.

The wooden door opened noiselessly; Lisa and the mercenaries turned to see who was there. Two smaller figures, both cloaked, slipped through--Lisa relaxed and gave the newcomers a smile. These were Joseph's twin children, as expected.

"Good," she said softly. "Ai, Yu... these two are the ones who were asked to protect you."

"Asked _and _paid," Aura murmured under her breath, though she obviously meant to be heard. "A lot. So you can definitely count on us for the time being." Lisa gave her a sidelong look; the slight smugness playing about her lips wasn't exactly a pleasant expression.

Joseph Hayakawa's son pushed back his hood and bowed to his new bodyguards. Yu had his father's chestnut hair and eyes; his hair was cut short and swept back. Short tufts of hair brushed across his forehead and swept up into a swirling, likable cowlick, giving him a childish look. His face was pleasant; he was fourteen years of age but looked a bit younger. His dark eyes were wide for his Eastern ethnicity and completely guileless, though they were dark with sorrow at leaving and worry for his father and people. His cloak was a brown darker than his hair and eyes; the tunic he wore beneath it was a rich, dusky forest green. His shirt and breeches were both simple brown, a lighter shade of his leather boots. His hands were bare, and he was unarmed--he'd never been taught to wield any weapon, as his father's castle had been a place of peace and he'd never really wanted to.

"Nice to meet you," he said softly. His voice was somewhere between a boy's soprano and alto; it was just beginning to crack and deepen with the coming signs of manhood.

His sister pushed back her hood as well. Ai was the older of the twins, and definitely the more practical of the two. Her pinkish-red hair was pinned up; she'd put half of it in a ponytail at the side of her head, and folded the rest over, pinning it twice at the back of her head and letting what remained fall free in another ponytail. Her eyes were slightly more narrow than Yu's; though they were the same shade, they were somewhat colder. Though youthful, her face was sharp; her expression was arranged in a slight scowl of dissatisfaction. Beneath her emerald green cloak, she wore a short-sleeved pink tunic and white leggings; her hands and forearms were covered in fingerless padded gloves, which had thick layers of leather at the wrists and arms. Her boots were thinner than her brother's, but looked like they'd been worn more. Over her shoulder and across her chest, falling between her small breasts, was a thin leather belt; hanging at her left hip was a quiver packed with arrows. In her right hand was her longbow; somewhere in the luggage was her crossbow. Ai Hayakawa, many said, was the best shot in the castle. No one dared to say otherwise to her face.

"What brought you here?" Ai wanted to know. It was the one question her father hadn't asked during the short-lived "interview"; he hadn't cared so long as the two mercenaries were willing to take the job. But people had wondered; Ai was shrewd enough to put the question up front.

Aura was the one who chose to answer. "We heard that your people were still standing. We needed supplies, badly. Both of us were starting to starve."

"Where are you from?" Ai asked, thrusting her bow over her shoulder and crossing her arms. "We've seen lots of travelers over the past years, but none who look and dress like the two of you... or who wield guns, which are supposed to be forbidden in this country. Wherever it is, you've come a long way... and that's an awfully long journey to take just because you needed food."

Aura's cold eyes flashed with deep anger. "The Heartless obliterated our homeland. We've been on the move ever since, and that was almost a year ago. My brother and I are the last of our race."

"You didn't answer my question," Ai said flatly.

There was a long, tense silence.

"Please, Ai, I don't think..." Lisa began, but Kaze cut her off.

"Windaria." His hoarse baritone voice was barely more than a whisper.

There was another very tense silence.

"We'd better get going," Yu said softly, swinging himself up into the chocobo's double saddle and gripping the pommel with his left hand. He extended his right to give his sister a hand up, which she took, clambering up beside him.

Lisa took the bird's reins and led it towards the door as Kaze and Aura opened it and slipped outside, thinking all the while. Windaria. She knew that name from somewhere; from her recollection, it was a large kingdom at the center of a country not far from this one. For some reason, it tugged at her memory, but she couldn't remember what she wanted to. Windaria... the people of earth and wind... tapping the metals of the earth to create the forbidden weapons... the war of the summoners...

"Is something wrong?"

Lisa started and looked up; Yu was staring down at her with a worried expression.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "No... it's nothing..."

"If it's nothing, then would you mind moving?" Aura asked, still holding the door open. "We have to get out of here by nightfall, or else the Heartless'll be all over us."

"Y..you're right. I'm sorry." Tugging the twins' chocobo along after her, she hurried after the mercenaries into the thick pine forest that flanked the castle wall.

---

The slam of the door behind them made Kiri shudder. He blinked, waiting for his eyes to adjust to what seemed to him at the moment to be impenetrable darkness. Slowly, he began to pick up the traces of light emitted by the wide silver stair before him.

"Be careful," Fabula warned. Turning to her, Kiri saw that she was clutching her chakrams tightly. "Heartless could attack at any time, and you have to watch your step between platforms. It's a very, very long way down, and I doubt that your powers of flight will do you much good here."

"Great," Kiri grumbled. "Try to scare the crap out of me even more, why don't ya."

Either Fabula hadn't heard him or she'd chosen to ignore him. She was already walking down the silver stair.

Sighing in aggravation, Kiri hurried to follow her. He did not want to be alone in this place. Just being in the Tower of the Heavens made his hair stand on end--there was something deeply wrong about this place. It might have just been his imagination, but he thought he could smell the faint, acrid tang of old blood...

It seemed that they'd only been walking for a few minutes when Kiri realized what Fabula had meant by "platforms".

The stairs led down to a wide, circular stone pillar, on the top of which was what looked like a sheet of stained glass. The pillar was quite wide indeed--it was probably three or four times the size of Mystaria's central fountain. The visage that the stained glass portrayed was that of a young woman in a white dress standing on the surface of a vast lake. Her hands were outstretched, as though she were meant to be holding something, and her hair, chopped short aside from two long tufts allowed to grow to her waist that framed her face, fanned out around her, and her emotionless blue-green eyes were half-open. Though he kept walking, Kiri stared, in awe of the beautiful portrait. But something about that woman seemed familiar...

"You know, she kinda looks like you," he said, aiming a lopsided smile at Fabula.

She gave him a withering look and kept going.

"Excuse me for breathing," Kiri grumbled, his interest in the image deflating. "I was just thinking out loud, Miss I-Am-Surrounded-By-Idiots."

When they reached the platform, they walked across it without pause and continued down a second flight of spiralling stairs.

The two of them encountered two more stained-glass platforms on their way. Kiri said nothing, but he studied the images closely. The first was a dark scene cast in tones of deep blue and violet, with three indistinct figures standing at the center. Two were steeped in black, and the third seemed to be cloaked in blue. The second was more typical of stained glass--aside from the bits and pieces of different colors, it only showed the silhouettes of four people. All that Kiri could tell was that two were male, two were female, and all of them seemed to be young, perhaps even children...

Pausing in the middle of yet another staircase, Fabula raised a chakram and after standing perfectly still and perfectly silent for a few seconds, threw it in a slow practiced motion. There was a shriek; when the chakram came circling back to its owner's hand, it was covered in blood.

"Heartless," Fabula murmured, and stepped to catch the chakram.

As soon as it was in her hand, Kiri realized, and lunged forward to grab her, clutching her against his body with his right arm tight and secure over her diaphragm. His left hand found his sword hilt, and he tested his grip even as he hissed for her to stay still when she struggled.

"What are you--!" she demanded, still trying to twist around and meet his eyes.

"Hush. You were about to step off," Kiri told her in a low voice, feeling cold. If he'd let her take just one more step... it was champing on his nerves just thinking about it. "Be more careful."

"Oh..." she replied unevenly, sounding detached. Carefully, Kiri stepped back, pulling her with him, making sure they were both on stable ground before he let her go. Putting the chakram away, Fabula rubbed her arms, shook her head, and kept going. Beside her, Kiri realized that her face was very white.

She was as scared as he was.

---

The silence was making Lisa fidget.

They'd been walking for some time now, and no one had spoken since they'd left the walls of the fiefdom. Kaze plunged on ahead, grim-faced as ever, with Aura at the back of the party, one of her guns in her hand, and Lisa and the twins in the middle. They were nearing the edge of the thick forest, and though Lisa didn't want to say anything, her feet were starting to hurt. She didn't really enjoy having to walk everywhere for everything; she didn't have all that much stamina. But she knew that speaking was just inviting Aura's ridicule and the twins' disappointment, so she kept silent.

At last, they broke through the trees.

The group paused for a moment; Lisa stared at the ground, letting out a sigh. Less shadows... being out in the open meant less cover, but at least here there would be less places for Heartless to jump out at them. What a relief.

Ai's short gasp made her look up again warily--when she had, she could only stare, the giddy lightness in her chest replaced by cold, icy weight.

The scene before them looked like the paintings that the finest young artists of the Hayakawa fiefdom supported would produce--delicately detailed rolls of hills and plains, with clumps of trees and bushes dotted in dark greens against the lighter tints of the grass. The castle, shielded by dark forest, was a white bastion near the horizon.

If the country was a painting, then it looked as though some artist had dipped a fat brush into a pat of purple-black paint, then swiped it across part of the scene.

Except that the swatch of darkness was crawling in the direction of the castle, eating up the terrain in a way that a simple streak of paint never could.

"Heartless," Lisa said softly, her mouth suddenly dry.

Ai and Yu stared unbelieving at the army that was marching to make war on their home. "No way! If that many Heartless reach the castle, it'll be the end of everyone!"

It was impossible to tell the way Kaze felt by looking at his face, and impossible to read his tone of voice when he said starkly, "So it would seem."

"We've gotta _do _something!" Ai burst out angrily, reaching for not the longbow, but the crossbow. "If we don't, everyone..."

"Let's get moving," Aura told them, cutting her off.

Both Ai and Yu stared at her incredulously.

She stared at them with a set, controlled expression, though there was a tinge of regret in her otherwise apathic silver eyes. "There's nothing we can do... not just the five of us, against that many. We were paid to keep you two safe, which means _out of the fighting. _If we rush in there blindly, you will die, and so will the last wishes of your people."

"You got through the Heartless to us before," Yu said plaintively, looking at Kaze. "So you could at least dent their forces and get away, right? Please! That's our _father _in there!"

Lisa stared at the ground. She knew all too well that Kaze and Aura had just barely managed to get through the enemy lines, and at a terrible cost...

Ai glared at Aura out of angry umber eyes that glittered. "Is this what you did back when Windaria was destroyed?" she asked through gritted teeth. "Turn your backs on your people and run?"

Aura hissed. "You'd better watch your mouth, you little brat."

"I refuse to live a coward like all of you," Ai shouted. As Yu gripped the war chocobo's saddle pommel, his sister kicked the bird's flank. With a squawk, it turned and bolted towards the horde of Heartless still stampeding towards the fief.

"HEY!" Aura yelled, her hands tight fists. Neither of the twins seemed to be listening. Watching, Lisa saw Ai put an armor-piercing broadhead to her bow, lining it up with her shoulder. Kaze shook his head and tore after him, sprinting at a pace Lisa wouldn't have believed him capable of, taking huge strides with the speed of some mad racehorse. "Errgh!" Shaking her head, Aura grabbed Lisa's upper arm and began to chase after them.

---

"They're everywhere," Fabula said under her breath as she and Kiri continued down the stairs.

"But they're not _doing _anything," Kiri retorted, staring out of the corner of his eye at the many pairs of yellow eyes that blinked stupidly at them from out of the darkness. "Why not?"

"What do I look like, a collection of King Ansem's Heartless reports?" Fabula hissed back. "I have no idea what they're thinking, or if they even think at all! We're coming to another one of those platforms... at least then we'll have some room if they get smart and try to attack us!"

Kiri started to ask who this King Ansem was, but his first glimpse at the stained glass image on the new platform ahead of them stole the words from his throat, rendering him completely mute.

Against a flaming backdrop was set one of the old Kirishitan-style crucifixes. However, the figure hung on it was their bizarre "god", the one they claimed had died for them. No, this young man, though indistinct, was much more familiar.

The twist and arch of the nude body, the aching curves of pain, the deep bloodstain on the chest, the face tilted to the sky in a cry of agony and despair... every detail ripped something dear, something vital from Kiri's heaving breast. He stood frozen, unable to move, unable to think. What could it possibly mean? An image like this, in a place built so long ago... what the hell did it _mean?_

The man on the cross was unmistakably Kumo.

A squeeze at his wrist pulled him out of his numbness, and he looked to his right to see Fabula staring at him, her intense blue-green cat stare boring into him, hints of deep concern on her face.

"Don't let it bother you," she ordered him, continuing to lead him down.

"But..."

"Worry about the 'why' once we're out of here. This is a dangerous place to space out in."

He fell silent, heart aching. She was right, of course. But the portrayal of his brother in this place, suffering, dying horrifically... it hurt. And she knew, which was why she was being so gentle, instead of getting annoyed as she had before.

At first, Kiri didn't hear it, but as he headed across the stained glass surface, he began to feel it--the prickling chill that crawled over his back, the sure sense that some great evil was drawing near.

Beside him, Fabula dropped his wrist, her hands instead moving silently to her chakrams.

Suspicious, almost afraid of what he would see, Kiri looked over his shoulder.

His shadow stretched behind him, huge, crawling back towards the platform's edge. Slowly, its shape began to twist, becoming less of himself and more of--

As the whatever-Heartless-it-was-now reared from Kiri's shadow, Fabula shoved him harshly out of the way of its attack. Sprawling on the thick glass, Kiri looked back and stifled a curse. The thing was _huge--_unlike the Heartless they'd dealt with before, it towered over them; it was at least three times Kiri's height, and somewhere near forty feet long. Huge, blue-black, and grotesque, it lashed out with a clawed appendage at Fabula, who stood her ground, blocking the strike with her forearms.

Kiri could see her buckle under the weight of the heavy blow from where he lay. Worse, he could _feel _the force of it through the glass, which shook ominously. But amazingly, Fabula was able to repel the monster's attack, leaping backwards to land lightly, then sprinting towards the thing again to slash away with both chakrams. She didn't throw them to attack this time--it would simply take too long to recover the thin metal rings, and she could lose them if the thing beat them aside.

Although she had withstood the blow, Kiri noted sickly that her forearms were soaked in blood.

That _thing _had ripped her almost to the bone.

And he was lying around watching, doing... _what _again?

Giving himself a mental shaking, Kiri stood, drawing his sword, and ran to the side of the monster opposite the one Fabula was already attacking. Whirling to slice a thin line in the big thing's "arm", he realized quickly that attacks such as that one wouldn't do very much. On the monster's other side, it was apparent that Fabula had just noticed the same thing--she'd jumped back again, breathing rapidly, her attention completely on where the big ugly thing's next attack would come from.

Letting his well-trained body automatically dodge and roll with the giant Heartless' attacks, Kiri thought furiously. Where to attack the creature to damage it? Although most big animals usually were vulnerable in the abdomen, this thing's belly and chest seemed made out of the same stuff its arms were. So nix on that idea.

"Look at its head," Fabula called. Blinking, Kiri stared first at her, and then at the creature.

Of course...

The Heartless might have thick hide everywhere else, but no creature could keep skin over its eyes for very long. And this thing also had a jewellike thing above its eyes. Whatever that was, it certainly wasn't the same material as the rest of its body.

"Distract it!" Fabula yelled. Kiri, seeing what she had in mind, dashed forward, sword at the ready, and made a feint at the big Heartless' throat. Unaware, the thing went after Kiri, who dodged; the chakram flying at its head took it completely off guard. As the metal disk connected, it shrieked and collapsed; Fabula ran to retrieve her weapon as Kiri, grasping hold of the opportunity, dashed up the prone monster's forelimb to its shoulder and instinctively plunged the blade of his sword deep into the jewel-thing on its head.

It let out an unearthly scream, thrashing. Bracing himself by grabbing his sword hilt, Kiri swore--he must not have gone deep enough. As waves of blood cascaded over his arms, he drove the blade deeper, into what he hoped was the thing's brain cavity (with some Heartless, you never could tell). He felt, rather than heard, a snap--with another shriek and convulsion, the thing collapsed, just as Kiri was yanking his sword free.

Tossed from the Heartless' twitching corpse, Kiri hit the ground hard and rolled, catching himself about nine feet from the platform's edge. With a short groan, he hefted himself to his feet, slashed his sword in the air to get rid of the blood, and put it away, breathing heavily.

"Ouch," he commented, then laughed.

"You all right there?" Fabula asked, giving the dead Heartless a wide berth as she came to join him.

"Yeah. I found the stairs," he commented, pointing. It was true--the spiral staircase continued not far from where he'd ended up. Taking a second look at his companion, he winced--the damage to Fabula's forearms was worse than he'd thought. "Are _you _all right?" Gently catching her left arm, he held it up, trying to ignore her slight flinch. "I thought so. This _does _go straight down to the bone. We need a healer for these."

"It's okay," she protested, removing her arm from his hands. "No important parts of the muscle were severed. I can go without for a while, and we need to get out of this place."

"But doesn't that _hurt?" _Kiri asked dryly. "And you're bleeding like crazy. _You _tell _me _that _I _have no common sense... now is _so _not the time to act all tough."

Fabula wouldn't meet his eyes, but claimed that "I'm not acting!" and headed down towards the tower exit.

"Women," Kiri said under his breath, shaking his head as he followed her.

That flight of stairs was, thankfully, the last. It ended at a doorway, which led to a broken-down court similar to the one they'd seen above, in Mystaria.

But this court lay on rolling, open, grassy fields, with a forest and what looked like a town in the distance. They'd made it.

...So far as making it was a big accomplishment, anyway.

"That's a village there?" Kiri asked, shading his eyes with a still-bloody hand. "Then that's where we're headed. Hopefully they'll have someone there who'll be able to treat those wounds."

Fabula just sighed and followed him as he forged ahead.

---

They had just gotten to the edge of the forest when they almost ran into the first people they'd seen since crossing the barrier.

At first, Kiri had mistaken the hooded and cloaked figures for Heartless, but then he'd seen the terrified eyes beneath the cloaks and the crude weaponry that the small, sweaty hands were clutching. What dignified Heartless would be caught toting a rusted or wooden blade?

No, these were not Heartless. They were children. Human children. Three of them, and apparently not expecting to see any strangers in _their _forest. From what Kiri could tell, they were all between their pre- and mid-teens--two boys (armed, if you could call it that) and one girl (unarmed).

"Heartless," one of the boys said, his voice wary. "Stay back!"

Kiri blinked, stared, then sighed defeatedly. So it _was _true. Seeing what he looked like, and no doubt the blood of the Heartless still splattered all over him, the first thing these humans did was jump to conclusions... everyone at home had been right about them.

"Riku, it's okay."

The sound of the girl's voice made Kiri start; he turned back to the children and stared--the girl had come up between her two "protectors", laying a hand on the shoulder of the one who had spoken (the one armed with the rust-eaten blade). As he watched, she pushed back her hood and smiled.

"He's not a Heartless! He's a person--I can _feel _it. No monster would have such a good heart."

The girl had short, shiny reddish-brown hair, blue eyes that looked huge in her thin face, and a petite frame that seemed even smaller from unnatural weight loss. Still smiling, she walked past the two still-hooded boys and stuck out a hand for Kiri to shake.

"I'm so glad to see that someone else has survived out there!" She giggled. "My name is Kairi. It's good to meet both of you!"

(TBC)


	4. Interlude: Kiri's Heart and Dreams

Kokoro no Hanashi

INTERLUDE

:Naze Nani:

Hello, readers! In order to avoid having to put a big ol' Author's Note in the beginning of every chapter, I've decided that I'm going to do these little interludes every now and then instead to deal with the questions and random bits of information I want to give you. This is the naze-nani, or what and why, of Kokoro no Hanashi... sit back and enjoy, but be ready for warnings of stuff that will appear in future chapters...

**Kokoro no Hanashi: **The title means "Story of the Heart", and it's written in Japanese. Why Japanese? Because Japanese is cool and I wanted to do something different. There are too many English titles floating around...

**Kiri and Kumo: **I know that some of you are probably weirded out by the fact that these two are together... while the pairing has a small (albeit rabid) fan following, everyone else is just left going, "Incest? Ew!" So I'd like to take the time to explain. If you look at the pairing analytically, their personalities are very compatible. There are also some VERY vague hints at their being "together" in the show... They're actually a couple that has you wondering, from time to time, who is really the stronger of the two... while Kiri obviously seems to be the more emotionally stable and (as the elder of the two) the more powerful, in actuality _Kumo _is the more skilled of the pair (as proved in Episode 18, of course...). In addition, he is more in touch with his emotions, has better control, and a well of inner strength that you generally see only when he's forced to stand on his own. However, Kumo has a tendency to just sit back and let Kiri protect him; he has a vulnerable streak the size of Russia, and he likes having his brother's guidance.

Kumo may seem weak at this point in the story (he's had his heart stolen already), but he'll come into his own in time and prove to you that he's _anything _but.

And while the romantic relationship between Kiri and Kumo is a focus of KnH, it's a relationship that had to be pre-established in order for the story to work. I didn't have the room for them to develop; I need my readers to already accept the fact that they're together so that the real plot can take up most of people's attention...

**Kingdom Hearts references: **There are a lot of them, and yes, that is intentional. If there were any more, I would have to say that this was an FF:U/KH crossover. I wanted Kingdom Hearts' dark themes, the Heartless (the only bad guys in anything that creep me out), and the sense that I get when listening to the opening theme, "Simple and Clean" (or "Hikari", if I'm listening to the Japanese one). Some of the KH characters will also appear (no duh), and you'll also be seeing mentions of the Keyblade. No, there will not be multiple worlds, although that's one of the connections between FF:U and KH. This world is completely my invention, and it's going to stay that way.

In addition, you may have noticed that I've been kidnapping random characters and concepts from other FF games, as well as lots of other things, and sticking them in. I do that with EVERYTHING I write. You'll be seeing people from everything imaginable in here...

**Pairing warnings...: **Of the three major pairings in this story, two of them are homosexual ones. The first of these two couples, of course, is Kiri and Kumo, but who are the other two? Heh. I can't be telling you everything, now can I? Just know that unless you watch everybody VEEERY CAREFULLY, you won't see it coming in a million years. Muahahahaha.

**Angst: **This story is planned to MAXIMIZE angst for ALL the main characters involved. And I can be an evil bitch to my favorite characters when I'm doing that. You will probably be bombarding me with angry cries of "WHY?" more and more often by the time I get to the later chapters... just to letcha know. And no, no matter what you do, it can't be changed, because this story is in my hands. Only I decide where it's going to go...

**Ai's weaponry: **No, I actually didn't make this one up. The ADV version of FF:U carries several extras on each DVD; one of those is a handful of sketches dating back to the time when FF:U was still in the development stage. That was around the year 2000... and it was also before Square and Gonzo decided to adopt the more popular style of anime over the realism that was initially planned. The characters' appearances (and in some cases, personalities) underwent drastic change... for example, the original Ai was older (fifteen or sixteen), apparently much more gentle, and packing a crossbow. The bow still fits her personality, so for the purposes of KnH's darker world, I decided to keep it.

Just to give you a little bit of useless information, Lisa was the only member of the main cast who DIDN'T have a complete personality overhaul. Yu was originally a brave, brash sword-toting leader, Kumo was a (twitch twitch) purple-haired, middle-aged samurai, and Kaze... well, it was very apparent that he was a total Clint Eastwood ripoff. He was also middle-aged, but he was a dirty-blonde guitar-toting Western-style gunslinger (he didn't even have the Magun, gasp shock faint). With a five-o-clock shadow. (Watch me twitch.)

Personally, I am very glad that everybody turned out the way they did in the actual show. I like my Kumo-chan cute, thanks, and Kaze is enough pain in the ass without being an eyesore, too.

**Mystaria:** As far as I know, nobody really knows the name of Kumo and Kiri's home world, but I've heard it referred to as "Mystaria" on a few fan sites, so I've decided to adopt that name until I learn what it's actually called. Heheh...

**Future rating change:** I'm pretty sure that this story is going to end up rated "M" for some reason or other in the future. You already know that there's graphic violence, and there's going to be some hard sex scenes later on. If you can't find it in the future, change the search label to "Rating: All", then look again. If you don't like where the plot is heading, then you don't have to read it. KnH is dark and it's aimed for a more mature audience. What you've already seen is only the fire on the candles on the icing on the cake. (nodnod)

**Original bad guys: **Yup, the bad guys are mine. All mine. I don't usually end up creating OC's, but I had to do something other than kidnapping a certain five really annoying ones. Mine are actually evil. They aren't. Or at least, it's not as apparent with them...

**Since I have to include at least SOME story content here, I'll give you a little "bonus" mini-chapter for being a good reader and getting to this point of my random babble. This doesn't really have a fixed point in the story, but it works better that way anyway.**

**---**

Kiri no Kokoro, Kiri no Yume

_"I'm still singing to you in my heart... do you remember the night I taught you that song? I'm too used to it, I guess... so it keeps on playing in my head. Sometimes it makes me feel like crying, although I don't of course... I still love you. Even now, especially now. In times like this... I still love you, and you should know that..."_

---

Home. It had never felt so good to be home.

Kiri bucked his head back, stared up at the sky, and let out a long, satisfied sigh, flopping back into the soft cushion of clouds and ignoring the thick stream of red Mist that had escaped his parted lips. The wind would make it dissipate within moments. Although the brightness of the sun made his eyes sting and blur, he kept them open and didn't look at it directly. He was alone. No one would mistake his tearing up from the light for something else.

The wind carried on it a soft, sugary spoor. Kiri drew in a deep draft of air, then released it. He recognized the scent, and realized it was mixed when he took another breath. The thicker scent was a jumble of spun sugar and warmly baked rice and the sharp, salty, droolworthy tang of cooked pork; the softer, more hidden one was a minty-sweet one, a white-and-green one, a familiar, homey smell. Kiri closed his eyes and smiled. It was all he needed for the day to be complete... little Kumo and his perfect rice balls.

"Niisama, Niisama! So that's where you've been hiding!" Even Kumo's light alto voice was sugared over, gently teasing in its singsong way. "You almost missed getting any of these. You should be glad I saved you any, you lazy bum."

Sitting up awkwardly, Kiri laughed. "Oh, you'd always save me some no matter what. If I don't get any of your cooking, I'll just have to settle for eating _you _instead."

Kumo, carrying a woven tray, sat down next to his brother, joining in the laughter. Out of everyone in their city, little Kumo was hands-down the very best cook. The average chef could make five-star cuisine with work, but Kumo's range included seven- and eight-star food. It helped that he and Kiri largely shared the same tastes; both were partial to the pork traded for every few years, both loved rice and pasta, and both adored Kumo's cooking. They even shared a dislike for fat and onions, although Kumo's "dislike" waxed towards hatred while Kiri just preferred food that wasn't slimy. The only difference in their tastes was that Kumo favored almost sickeningly sweet dishes, and Kiri liked the kind of edibles that would scorch the taste papillae off of anyone else's tongue--wasabi, hot sauce, and the spice red satay were his best friends.

Sighing, Kiri leaned towards his brother and gently lipped his earlobe, mischief sparkling in his eyes. "I am glad that you decided to bring it to me, though. Just think of the pains I would have to go to, warming them back up..."

"Silly," Kumo replied, putting one slender finger to the redhead's lips. "You want it so badly, eat." With his other hand, he picked up one of the rice balls on the tray and took a bite out of it, his jadeine eyes still fixed on Kiri's, still teasing.

Eat, huh? Well, if Kumo said so.

Kiri leaned forward, gently put a hand on Kumo's shoulder, and bit off part of the other end of the rice ball, going just deep enough that the tips of their noses brushed for a moment.

Kumo's eyes flashed with mirth, and Kiri could practically hear him thinking, _Two can play at this game._

Before Kiri could pull back, Kumo bit deeper in turn, bringing their lips dangerously close to meeting. Stalling, Kiri turned from the rice ball and licked a few errant grains from his brother's cheek, still staring into Kumo's dancing eyes.

Kumo, shy little Kumo, made the last push, took the last bite, and slipped his tongue into Kiri's mouth boldly, searching for traces of rice or pork that might be left.

So he wanted to play that way, did he?

Kiri brazenly attempted to take back the initiative, grasping the side of Kumo's face with his left hand and running his right down the smooth side, slipping up and under the soft thin shirt to touch softer, perfect skin. Kumo let out a soft, low, urgent moan, his hands teasing, beckoning.

The two of them collapsed into the softness of the clouds, their long slim legs twined together in a red-and-white braid, their hands exploring, encouraging each other with soft sounds of endearment. Kiri felt a rush of redness sting his cheeks as pure lust began to throb between his legs; knowing that Kumo could sense his hunger, he pulled back a little, uncertain and a bit embarrassed.

Kumo lay on his back looking up at his brother, quiescent as ever, a hint of something aching in his eyes. Reaching up, he tenderly brushed Kiri's hair out of his face, and spoke softly. "Niisama."

"Yes?" Kiri needed to get up. He needed to get up very badly. More than that, he needed to pour cold water down the front of his pants. The effort of holding back was really starting to hurt.

"Niisama, why?" Those jadeine eyes, so filled with light and life only a moment ago, were near dead with mingled sorrow and pain. "Why couldn't you...?"

"What do you mean?" Kiri's heart was beating in ragged, uneven rhythm. Kumo's hands were cold; his lips were turning blue. Something was very, very wrong. "Kumo, what are you saying?"

"Why didn't you save me?" Tears started to spill down Kumo's soft ivory cheeks, which were now slashed with blue-violet shadows. "It hurts, Niisama... it hurts... I'm scared..."

Kiri instinctively tightened his hold on his brother's freezing body. Had they been standing before? Had it been so dark when they had met, over the cloudscape? "Kumo, it's going to be okay. You're going to be okay, you hear me? Breathe! You need to get air! Breathe! Just hold on to me. I'm here for you!" All thoughts of sex now long forgotten, Kiri clung to the now-unresponsive Kumo, who stood cringing and shivering in his brother's arms. "I'm here!"

"N..nii..sa..ma..." Kumo whispered.

Kiri gasped. His hands had gone straight through his brother's body; Kumo was now barely more than a transparent image, a spirit, almost impossible to see in this world of blackness.

"Kumo... Kumo...!"

---

"Kiri-niisama, wake up...!"

Instantly, Kiri's eyes snapped open. Kumo's voice...

"Was Niisama having a bad dream?" Teasing, but gentle. Husky and whispered. The source not far from him... turning, Kiri realized that Kumo lay beside him, a soft smile curving the shape of his lips.

Dreaming. He'd been... dreaming...

The two of them were curled up in bed, lying side by side in a firelit room that Kiri didn't instantly recognize. The only scent his sensitive nose could catch was Kumo's, made almost pungent by sweat. It drowned out all others, bringing his attention back to the young man beside him.

What had he... been doing, before he'd fallen asleep...? For some reason, he couldn't remember...

He still _felt _sleepy. Sleepy and lazy and satisfied. If not for that strange, alarming dream, he would just have curled up, pulled the heavy blankets tighter around him, and nodded off again. But as things were... Kiri shivered, fighting off waves of his traitorious body's protests, and slowly, achingly sat up.

And that was when he realized something else unusual. He was completely naked.

He _never _slept in the nude.

Kumo did--that's why he didn't. He would have enjoyed it every now and then, but there was too much chance of something happening if two people slept naked in the same bed. If at least one of them was wearing at least underclothes, it would serve as a reminder of propriety. And as a barrier if something did start. They had decided long ago that they were going to wait until their life-bond was complete before they had sex... and that wouldn't be for another few years. So why...? Kiri shivered a little and clenched his fist on the bedclothes, staring at it as if it was supposed to have the answers he didn't.

And that was when he noticed the dark red spots on the sheets.

Blood.

There was _blood _on the sheets. Which could only mean one thing.

"Kumo..." Kiri's voice was soft, the red of his hair spreading quickly to his cheeks. "Kumo, did we..."

"You don't remember?" The look on his little brother's face was all coy surprise. The surprise... Kiri could understand that, because one would think that... something like that... would be memorable, but the coyness? That was just a little bit odd. Kumo was usually very shy about sex, and almost as often, shy about his body as well. He was awkward about his passion for Kiri, embarrassed about the longing that, Kiri knew, was fierce and aching. To take this flirtatious attitude... was strange for him, unless he just meant to play around a little.

"It's the blood, isn't it?" Kumo propped himself up on his elbows, looking up into his brother's face. "You're worried, aren't you?" At least some seriousness was returning to his voice. "Don't. It didn't hurt, not very much. I'm told that it isn't uncommon to bleed a bit, the first time..."

Well, duh. Kiri knew that. He'd been the one to ask the healer all the questions; Kumo had been way too embarrassed to speak up. The initial act of penetration could be very painful for a virgin, especially during anal sex; it depended on the person, but in those who did feel those effects, a little bleeding sometimes occured. But half of him still couldn't quite accept what he was hearing, or what his own sated body was telling him. They'd _sworn _that they wouldn't make love until the time was right. And he still couldn't remember...

He stared at Kumo with a small frown, unwilling to start believing until he saw it there, on his innocent baby brother's face.

What he did see... frightened him beyond his capacity to admit.

Kumo was a baby no longer. His usual somewhat childish self no longer. The innocence that Kiri had always treasured in his little brother was completely gone from his eyes, almost as if it had never been there. Those eyes were mature, almost haunted, and desirous.

From the look in those eyes, Kumo had enjoyed what he'd gotten and wanted more of it. They were the hungry, lustful eyes of someone who has just had the best sex of their life, but won't stop until they're completely satisfied.

They were the eyes of a whore. Kiri shuddered.

There was something deeply _wrong _with those eyes.

Unlike normal eyes, which reflected light, they stole the light, reflecting none--dark, empty pits that sought to replace something that they had lost, to fill a void within the soul. And... Kiri's back prickled into gooseflesh as he realized that the precious jadeine of Kumo's eyes had changed to blue--the perfect shade of a sunlit, cloudless sky.

Those were _not _the eyes of the Kumo he had always loved. They lacked his brother's spirit, his brother's warmth and kindness. They were cold eyes. Terrible eyes. Heartless eyes.

_Heartless eyes..._

The room shattered into blackness; Kiri and the Kumo-who-was-not-Kumo stood facing each other in an empty void. All expression had deserted the shell of the young swordsman's body; his soft oval face was as blank and smooth as a porcelain doll's. There was a shimmering patch of translucence on his chest; through it, Kiri could make out the framework of the false circulatory system Fabula had created to keep him alive. The side of Kumo's slender throat was marred by a long, purpling bruise; there was a similar mark on his right hip, and another on the inside of his left thigh--signs of rough handling, perhaps even (Kiri shivered, feeling cold) of his having been _raped. _What was going on?

"Kumo..." As he spoke, Kiri shook his head, remembering belatedly, _This can't be Kumo! _"Who are you? _WHAT _are you! Where's my brother? What's happened to my brother!"

But the Kumo-who-was-not-Kumo either couldn't or wouldn't answer... it just stood silently, blank eyes boring deep into Kiri's, laying him bare, stripping him to his core--

To his heart--

---

Kiri gasped and lurched up, spilling his blanket and the shirt he'd laid over it for extra warmth, sweat dripping from his face.

Fabula, who'd been keeping the night watch, whirled around to face him, looking alarmed. "What's wrong, Kiri?"

Kiri just shook his head, pushing his bangs off his forehead to blot away the sweat there. "Nothing... it was nothing." Staring down at his hands, he shook his head again. "It was... just a dream..."

(TBC)


	5. A Forlorn Hope

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the prelude

Although Lisa quickly ran short of breath, Aura didn't stop or even slow to accomodate her companion--she just kept running hard, her focus on her brother and the twins, who even now were charging the huge phalanx of Heartless.

By the time they got there, Ai had already loosed two arrows and was going for a third before Kaze grabbed her shoulder and yanked her bodily off the chocobo, making her aim go wild.

"Don't risk yourself like that," Aura snapped, stopping short and allowing Lisa (who she still had by the arm) to gulp in huge breaths of air. "What are you, stupid?"

"Ah-!" Yu cried, pointing.

Kaze and Ai whirled; Lisa and Aura looked up.

"Oh, _shit."_

They were staring at a wall of (apparently) angry Heartless.

"Oh, shit. Shit shit shit shit shit."

Faster than Lisa could see, Aura whipped out both of her guns and fired two sharp blasts, one from each. Instead of bullets, a bolt of what looked like powerful lightning leapt into the Heartless...

But Lisa wasn't allowed the time to ponder this development, or even to watch to see what would unfold next. Yu swung his sister back into the saddle and kicked the chocobo's side--the thing was off again, with Kaze sprinting beside it, a long red gun in his left hand as he warily looked over his shoulder at the Heartless behind them.

"Come _on!" _Aura yelled, and ran after them, not even bothering to try to grab Lisa again.

Lisa tried. She really did. But her lack of stamina, combined with her exhaustion from the run only a few moments ago...

Of course she fell behind.

The waves of darkness overtook her, washing her in bone-deep chill that froze her where she stood. Her limbs felt heavy, her chest felt hollow, and her vision faded into shades of blue.

Strange voices assaulted her ears, as though a million people around her were all whispering at the same time. But surely, no humans would speak like this.

_Heartheartheart**wanttheheart**yesheart**takeit**Masterwants**yesyesMaster**heartheartheart**forMaster**yesforMaster**suckoutallthelife**notaketheheart**yesyestakeit**takeandbringtoMaster**tastyheart**Masterfirst..._

From far, far away, she heart Kaze's hoarse shout, saw a flicker of golden light, and felt a pain so intense, so terrible, that all she could do was run.

With strength that was not hers, she bolted, taking the only way she could, running blindly, crashing into foliage as she went, until she collapsed, able to run no longer... and passed out.

---

Kairi and her two small "knights" led Kiri and Fabula back to the place they referred to as their "camp". Seeing that they passed straight through the village, Kiri began to wonder. His puzzlement grew when the children stopped at a large bonfire surrounded by a handful of tough, lean, bitter-looking people. Most were adults, but Kiri spotted a girl who had to be even younger than Kairi standing on the right side of the blaze. She had hollow cheeks, dull eyes, and long, unruly pink hair pulled messily into double ponytails. In her right hand, she clutched the haft of a huge double-headed axe that was as big as she was.

"Tidus! Tiiii-dus!"

A young man who'd been staring into the blaze with his arm protectively around a young woman turned and gasped when he caught sight of Kiri and Fabula.

"Tidus, look! Look! More survivors!"

The man named Tidus dashed over to the newcomers, his expression a mix of surprise and relief. He was dressed in strange, rough clothing (at least in Kiri's eyes); his eyes were dark, his skin was tanned, and the messy hair that fell around his face had been dyed platinum blonde at one time. About an inch worth of the same reddish-brown as Kairi's hair showed at the roots, however.

Seeing Fabula's wounds, he blanched. "Before I ask you anything, little lady, you'd better go over to see Minwu. He's our healer... he's on the other side of the fire. He's the guy in the big turban. You can't miss him. Go on, go."

Fabula nodded and went. Kiri sighed inwardly, glad she was done with the tough-girl act.

"That blood isn't yours, is it?" Tidus asked warily.

Kiri shook his head. "Nah. We ran into a nasty Heartless on our way... it's alright. That thing won't be bothering anybody anymore."

An awkward silence descended as the two men took the opportunity to examine each other more closely. Now that he was able to look directly into Tidus' face, Kiri was able to judge him more closely--his features, somewhere between the extremes of Eastern and Western, were pleasant and open; from the slight curve to his lips, Kiri could tell that he was happy-natured (even _now _he couldn't keep from smiling a little bit). His eyes were bright with the spark of intelligence; they flicked back and forth over Kiri's face, giving him an examination as thorough as the one he was receiving.

"Kairi says you have a good heart," Tidus told Kiri at length, running a hand through his shaggy dyed hair. "She has pretty good judgement, so... I think I'll trust you for now."

Kiri smiled crookedly. "Thanks." Looking around, he couldn't help but ask. "What happened here? This was a village, right? But you're just using the main road as a camp..."

Tidus shook his head. "You even need to ask? It was the Heartless that did it! A huge wave of them came through here about two months ago, with absolutely no warning at all--we'd barely even seen any of them until that point. But they came anyway.

"This village used to be called Isu. It was peaceful, prosperous, quiet... people used to come here just to be able to access the Church of Angelus near here and keep contact with the Hayakawa fiefdom to the southwest. And because the Tower of the Heavens is so close, people thought we were blessed...

"Some blessing. The peace turned into a curse. Not many could fight, so... a lot of people died. Even more of them got their hearts taken... and for every man, woman, or child who'd lost a heart, about five more Heartless showed up.

"The people you see here are the survivors... all fifteen of us."

"Only fifteen?" Kiri couldn't, no, _wouldn't _believe that. "Fifteen out of how many?"

"Fifteen out of about three hundred," Tidus replied. "And those of us who got out were either good fighters or really lucky. But that's all there is now, you know. We aren't the people of Isu any more. We're the refugee camp of Forlorn Hope."

Casting an arm out, Tidus continued, speaking as if lost to his memories of the attack. "Little Kairi lost her adoptive parents. Sora and Riku, too. Presea, with the axe, saw her own father and sister lose their hearts right in front of her, and she hasn't spoken to anyone since. Minwu is the last healer... the others got him out before the hospice fell. Terra is just an ordinary village girl. Motoko there, she was one of King Ansem's knights, so she was able to fight her way out of a tight corner to the rest of us.

"The attack changed everybody. Me... I'm not a fighter, not really, but now everyone's looking to me as their leader, trusting me to keep them out of danger. But on the inside, I'm still just a Blitzball player who's never had to pick up a sword for anything but training. Yuna" he gestured to the girl he'd been standing with "is a ceremonial summoner, but she's been calling her Shokanju in order to protect us when the Heartless attack. Those three men, sitting together... their names are Cloud, Squall, and Sephiroth. Along with Yuna and Motoko, they're doing most of the protecting around here. They came here to get out of the military, swearing that they'd never take up arms again after what they'd seen in wars against bandits and pirates.

"You see those two, near Presea? Take a good look." Kiri did. Tidus was pointing to two men sitting near the fire. They were both blonde and blue-eyed; they looked almost exactly alike, but one had hair cropped short while the other's fell in gentle waves to his shoulders. The one with longer hair was leaning on the shoulder of his companion, despair on his prematurely lined face. "They're twin brothers, although you couldn't get them to admit it... before. They hated each other with a passion. No one knew why, but any meeting between them was sure to draw blood. And now... you can't tear them apart. They're both terrified of losing each other to the Heartless.

"Everybody here is living on borrowed time. We all should have died when the Heartless first came... it would be much better than the way we're living now, in constant terror, too afraid to face our enemies and too afraid to end it ourselves. But it's all we can do now."

Tidus sighed and shook his head. "Sorry. It's not like me to babble. Okay, now it's your turn. Why are you here? Where are you from? There are certainly safer places to be going through..."

Kiri swallowed hard, staring into the fire. "The Heartless took my baby brother's heart. I want it back." After a long pause, he shook his head. "And I won't let anyone or anything stand in my way. I will save him. I don't have a choice. If I can't... how could I live with myself...? I _love _him, Tidus... he means the world to me."

Tidus stared. "I wish I had your kind of resolve," he said finally, with a sad, awkward half-laugh. "You're free to stay here for as long as you like."

"While we are here, we'll help keep the Heartless away," Kiri told the leader of the camp. "I think... I might be able to do something to make things a little safer. My people have a way of warding buildings against the Heartless... I think that I may be able to duplicate the seals, to give you some safe place to stay until there's somewhere better for you to go."

"You can try," Tidus said dubiously. "We'll keep watch for the night, so don't worry about anything, just go to sleep for now."

---

"Um... hi..."

Kiri blinked, opening his eyes and sitting up. He had curled up against a large rock facing the fire, placing his bags beside him. Sometime after he'd drifted off, Fabula had joined him, and was currently curled into a tight ball next to him, her bedroll under her head, her forearms bandaged, and her long silver hair twisted into a loose braid that now wound around her sleeping form.

The one who'd awakened him was Kairi, and she was accompanied by the two boys from before.

"What?" Kiri managed brilliantly.

Kairi sat, then scooched next to him, staring up at him out of imploring blue eyes. "Can we stay with you tonight? Please, please?"

Okay, that wasn't fair. First she came when he was already tired, then she pulled the same dirty trick Kumo always had when he really wanted something? That was just mean. He couldn't fight a face like that in his condition.

"Fiiine," Kiri groaned, moving his possessions between his body and Fabula's. "But just this once, okay? Don't get used to it, cause we aren't staying long."

Kairi smiled, scooted closer to the red-clad swordsman, and snuggled next to him, every inch an innocent little girl. Something twisted in Kiri's chest as he watched her. She reminded him far too much of Kumo when he'd been younger.

One of Kairi's friends, a boy about her age with the same blue eyes and coarse, spiky hair, plunked himself down nearby. "Hi! I'm Sora."

Another one with a happy nature, Kiri noted. He, like Tidus, was bright and cheerful even during their dire circumstances, and like Kairi, he hadn't yet hit puberty, so he was physically still a little boy, though he lacked the baby fat most children possessed. If he was thin, though, he didn't seem quite as frail as Kairi yet; he still had some strength to him. His big eyes, pointed chin, and small nose gave him a baby face that wasn't quite so different from Kumo's.

_Great, now I can't stop seeing Kumo in every person I meet... this sucks._

The other boy nodded awkwardly and sat down next to Sora. "My name's Riku. I'm... sorry about before..." He pulled a face, blushing, and shut up.

Now, this was interesting. While Sora and Kairi reminded Kiri of his brother, he could clearly see elements of himself in Riku. The young teen had shoulder-length, unruly silver hair and almond-shaped aqua eyes; he was a little older than his friends, and so he was already going through puberty. Kiri could see that in his wiry muscles; his tight-fitting clothes emphasized the slight bulges to his arms and legs. He had fine features, strong brows, a full, sensitive mouth, and a stubborn chin. Kiri could see the awkwardness of pride in his blush, and nobility in the way he'd made himself apologize anyway.

Most interesting.

However, Kiri still felt too tired to be truly analytical, so he decided to ponder later. "Thassokay." He hid a yawn behind his hand and fidgeted, adjusting to having Kairi glomming on him.

"Where are you from?" Sora had to know.

"Mystaria."

"Isn't that just a fairy tale?"

"No..." Kiri pointed to his forehead. "Would somebody who isn't Mystarian have spikes like these?"

"I dunno," Sora said cheerfully, rocking back, "but Cloud and Sephiroth have wings, and people say that only Heartless have wings, so someone who isn't a Mis-whatsis could have horns, I guess."

Kiri yawned. "Heartless have wings, yeah. Some do. Angels have wings. Some special people have wings. When Mystarians are close to death, their wings become visible. But unless you count things like oni, Mystarians are the only humanoid species that have spikes."

"That makes sense," Riku said thoughtfully.

"Whatever," was Sora's response. "But then you could be an oni instead."

Kiri sighed, rolled his eyes, and let out a short breath of Mist. Riku and Sora stared at the red vapor, entranced. "Only Mystarians can do _that. _Can I go to sleep now?"

"Yes," Riku replied, pinching Sora's cheek. "It's this one's bedtime, too."

"Is not, Ri-kuuuu," Sora whined.

"Yes it is. Now lay down and stop bothering him."

Sora pouted, then obeyed. "M'kay." He closed his eyes and edged up next to Riku. "Nighty."

And as far as Kiri could tell, he was asleep, just like Kairi, who'd gone out a few minutes after she'd curled up next to him.

With a wry smile, Kiri resettled himself and followed suit. They were all so like he and Kumo had been when they were children...

---

"Good morning, sleepy," Fabula's drawling voice drilled into Kiri's ears.

He groaned and shielded his face, opening one eye just a slit to see that she was kneeling beside him, the bandages on her arms soaking crimson. He winced.

"Aren't you going to get those changed?"

"I can do that later. _You _need to get up, because the hunting party's being arranged to go get breakfast. Are you going or staying?"

Kiri groaned again, very aware of Kairi's clinging to him still. "Staying, thank you very much."

"I see." Fabula's eyes danced with amusement. "You seem to be very popular."

"Mehh. They're like ducklings. They just won't go away." He didn't want them to go away, but still. He thought he'd keep that to himself for a while. "Now, go get fresh bandages."

"Yes, Mother dearest," she replied with a perfect poker face and not a hint of sarcasm, standing up in an elegant sweep of silver and gliding off towards Minwu the healer.

Watching her go, Kiri wasn't aware of the soft footsteps until they stopped.

"May I sit down?" a soft female voice inquired. Curious, Kiri looked up to the source of the voice.

It was the girl who had stood with Tidus the night before, the girl he'd called Yuna. Kiri nodded, and she sat, keeping Kairi and the boys between the two of them.

She was a little shorter than Fabula, with shoulder-length chestnut hair and gray-green almond-shaped eyes. Her features were delicate and feminine, leaning towards Eastern with a smaller nose, fine brows, and full, dawn-pink lips. A string of beads had been braided into her hair and trailed onto her collarbone; she wore a blue pleated skirt with tiny flower patterns along the slit in its side and a canary-yellow obi tied in a perfect butterfly bow, as well as black granny boots that seemed perfectly in step with the rest of her outfit. Over a black halter top that supported her full breasts, she had constructed a second halter out of crossed strips of cream-colored cloth; the sleeves of a pink-and-white kimono had been fashioned into makeshift armwarmers for her. Her expression was sweet and held the same innocence that Kairi, Sora, and Kumo had.

"Hi... Yuna, right?" Kiri said slowly, extending one hand.

"Yes... and you're Kiri, aren't you?" Yuna replied, taking it with a smile.

"Yep." Between them, Kairi stirred slightly, murmuring in her sleep and resettling the grip of her arms around Kiri's waist. Both he and Yuna smiled.

"She needs to eat more," Kiri said softly, gently stroking Kairi's auburn hair. "It looks to me like she lost too much weight very quickly."

"Many of us did," Yuna replied, her smile bittersweet. "It's hard to get enough food for fifteen with only small groups of inexperienced hunters. Even when Felix does take out large groups, many of us need to remain behind in order to protect the camp."

"Life sucks down here, doesn't it?" Kiri shook his head. "In Mystaria, the barriers on the cities kept our people safe from the Heartless and the monsters that would appear each year, but... you don't have any protection at all." Although he kept his left hand on Kairi's hair, he let his right clench into a fist. "And so little ones like this who haven't done anything wrong have to suffer for it."

"Poor Kairi. It was horrible having to watch her lose everything again and not be able to do anything about it." Yuna's smile had completely disappeared.

"Wait... what do you mean, _again?"_

"Kairi... wasn't really from Isu to begin with," Yuna explained. "None of us, not even Kairi herself, know where she originally came from. Seven years ago, Sora and Riku found her lying in a grove of trees with a broken ankle, a severe head wound, and a fever that almost cost her her life. She had amnesia then, and she hasn't remembered anything about her past to this day. The village mayor and his wife took her in, but... she's always felt alone here. Sora and Riku are her only real friends, and the mayor and his wife were the closest things to parents she's ever had here..."

"No one from another village ever came looking for her?" Kiri was stunned. Wouldn't a family that had lost a child search and search until they found her, no matter how long it took?

"No," Yuna replied. "I think... that whatever caused her to lose her memory probably killed her real parents. We tried to avoid the subject mostly, to spare her feelings, but... Tidus and I once headed as far as the fiefdom of the Sephiras to see if anyone had lost a child, and no one came forward."

"Wow. Poor kid." Gently, Kiri ruffled Kairi's hair as she continued to sleep, her too-bony child's arms still locked around his waist. "But what if she was abandoned? I don't know who in their right mind would decide they didn't want a kid this cute, but still. That might be why no one said anything."

"Maybe," Yuna admitted. "But I hope for Kairi's sake that she wasn't. That would be even worse than her parents dying." She shook her head. "Originally, Riku had planned to take Sora and Kairi with him in about a year or so, so that they could try to find out for themselves. But..."

"Then the Heartless came," Kiri finished for her. There was a brief silence. "I _hate _the Heartless. All they do is hurt people, and ruin their lives. Kairi and my brother did not deserve to suffer like this."

Yuna didn't answer. The troubled look in her gray-green eyes told Kiri that she didn't have one.

---

"So, now what are you doing?"

Once he'd actually spared himself a little of the rice in his pack, Kiri had headed off to a nearby house that was large and composed mostly of stone. Riku had gone off with the second group of hunters to do the tracking, but Sora and Kairi had stayed, and were following Kiri around, basically making a persistent, lovable nuisance of themselves.

"Well, I have to draw the sigils of protection on each wall before I put my power into them," Kiri explained. Since he'd meditated to clear his mind of outward concerns before getting started, he was feeling unusually patient at the moment. Besides, telling Sora and Kairi about Mystaria's culture and traditions like this was actually kind of fun. "Be quiet for a minute so I can concentrate, 'k?"

"Okay!" Sora and Kairi chorused in unison. Kiri hid a smile and let out a strong breath of Mist, careful not to release any of the toxins he used while in battle. It would not be a good thing to paralyze his young companions. They probably wouldn't like it very much.

Focusing the _chi _at his fingertips, Kiri mentally spoke to his Mist. True masters didn't need to do it, but he found it easier to make it listen if he actually formed words in his mind. _You are my paint. This is my paintbrush. That is my canvas. You are my paint... _Letting the simple mantra echo in his head, he touched his fingers to the stone brick of the building, tracing the well-practiced Mystarian rune of protection.

When he was finished, he paused to consider his work. The rune was big enough, formed in his personal shade of bright crimson, and since he hadn't faltered, perfectly shaped. Something in Kiri's chest glowed as he recognized the job done well, but he wouldn't let himself acknowledge it until he was done.

Clamping down on himself, Kiri placed both hands against the glowing red of the rune. He closed his eyes, let out a second breath of Mist (the first had all gone into the rune), and _believed._

When he opened his eyes, he pried his palms from the newly-formed seal, stumbled, and collapsed back into a sitting position, drawing his breath sharply.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked, meandering over to his side.

"Yeah..." Kiri pressed one hand to his forehead to stave off dizziness. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just a little... drained. It worked, but I'm gonna have to do one on every wall just to make sure."

"That was COOL! Do it again," Kairi commanded.

"I will... just not right away. I don't want to knock myself out, after all." Kiri was just glad that it was working. Now, the people of Forlorn Hope would have somewhere safe to stay--his seals would keep out just about every Heartless. The only thing that could possibly break in would be some Mystarian with greater powers than him--and Kiri doubted that anybody from the Upper Realm would be coming down here anytime soon, or that they would actually want to break his binding. They'd sense it was his, and he had enough esteem that they wouldn't question what he had chosen to do.

Deciding that five minutes' worth of a breather would probably be good enough, Kiri stood back up, tried to convince himself that his swaying vision wasn't as bad as all that, and headed to the next wall.

---

Letting out a groan of disorientation, Lisa slowly opened her eyes.

As a haze of black spots swirled across her vision, distorting her view of dirt, sparse grass, and lichen-covered bits of fallen trees, she tried to gather her thoughts.

She'd been in pain, and she'd run... from the Heartless, of course. But what...

Her charge by her lord! The children, and the mercenaries...

Slowly sitting up, Lisa felt her heart sinking slowly in her chest.

None of them were anywhere to be seen.

The twins, the chocobo, even tall, stoic Kaze and his tempramental sister Aura--all of them were completely gone. When she had run, Lisa had run alone. All she had was herself, her limited amount of supplies, and her staff...

She had failed. With an attack by that amount of Heartless, Ai and Yu were most likely dead--and with Kaze as incapacitated as he would be, Lisa doubted that Aura could hold off the entire army alone.

She had failed...

Trying to shove grief aside, Lisa slowly stood, bracing herself against her staff, and looked around. Nothing was familiar. She hadn't run back into the fiefdom's forest, then.

But she was alive.

All she could do was keep moving forward.

---

"Good morning, silly."

Groaning, Kiri struggled to open his eyes further, squinting at the too-bright light of the afternoon. He was lying on his back on the ground, and from what he could see, Fabula and Riku were kneeling on either side of him. If he focused, he could see Sora and Kairi standing not far away, both looking awkward and anxious. Kairi was clutching Sora's arm and giving Kiri huge, worried eyes.

"What... happened...?" Kiri got out.

"You exhausted yourself," Riku told him, worry and amusement dancing in his eyes. "You probably expended too much energy."

"Baka," Fabula added in gentle tones, laying a hand on Kiri's head, keeping his unruly bangs out of his eyes. "Five minutes' rest is not enough when you're casting spells of this magnitude. I highly doubt that Nallorn and Gaedrian themselves cast the protections of Mystaria in one day, demigods or no. You're going to rest now. Don't you give me that look. You've done enough already, and you're in no condition to get up right now. You men have no common sense at all. Riku-kun, Sora-chan, _never _grow up to be like him."

"Oh." Kiri's face burned as he remembered. Just as he'd gotten ready to cast the fourth and final seal, he'd collapsed and lost consciousness. "But I was almost done..."

"Too bad," Riku said bluntly, giving the swordsman's shoulder a friendly whack before standing. "You aren't going anywhere. If you try to get up, Sora will sit on you. And he's heavy."

"Heyyyy!" Sora pouted, sticking his lower lip out. "I'm not _that _fat!" Letting go of him, Kairi giggled.

Riku, heading over to him, poked him in the gut. "Oh, yes you are. Look at all this flab. Can you say 'BELLY'?" Kairi continued to giggle. Sora made some retort, but Kiri didn't hear it.

"Just to make sure that you aren't going to try something..." Fabula began mildly, with a look in her eyes that was anything but. _"Sleep."_

And Kiri was out in the space of an eyeblink.

---

By the time Kiri had reawakened, it was already dusk.

The day's third and final hunting party had been hugely successful, managing to bring down a buck deer, so the wan faces around the fire had a little more cheer than when Kiri had first seen them. Felix, the tall, dark-haired hunter, and a pair of bizarre young men who had to be Cloud and Sephiroth (each of them had one black wing) were dividing the spoils while everyone else looked on. Seeing the blonde twins haloed by the glow of the flames, Kiri felt a momentary pang for Kumo, but tried to shove those feelings aside. He was doing everything he could to get his little brother's heart back; he shouldn't be angsting when he was trying as hard as possible.

Still, he wished his dearheart could be beside him now. Fabula was a strong companion, but Kiri didn't know her well enough yet to confide in her, and besides, she could be _way _too pushy. And it was just plain freaky how she would always smile and then do something underhanded.

And Kiri needed someone he could gentle and kiss, someone he could hold close, someone he could take care of. Kumo had filled that role for the past sixteen years, but now...

"C'mon, let's go!" came Kairi's voice from behind him, and her little hands shoved at the small of his back, propelling him towards the waiting feast.

Thank all gods for that sweet little girl. She always seemed to pick up when Kiri was getting depressed, and came to rescue him every time.

Kiri was walking ahead to the fire when he heard the petrified shriek.

Whirling, he felt his heart stop, knowing with sickening certainty what he was going to see.

"KAIRI!"

She was limp and ashen-faced, held by the nape of the neck by a man who had walked out of a wall of choking, living darkness.

"YOU!"

Although Kiri hadn't seen him directly for very long, this man's face wasn't exactly one he could ever forget. It still haunted his worst nightmares.

"YOU BASTARD!"

The "bastard" smirked. He was a tall, brawny human with thick, scarred features and a long, spiky mane of russet-red hair. A tight, form-fitting black top with Oriental-looking toggles on the collar stretched over his huge chest and abdominal muscles, and dragon-green pants with a black linen belt, apparently from some martial arts discipline, completed his outfit. His huge feet were bare; his immense, pawlike hands were covered by thick, fingerless black gloves with brass knuckles attached. A smug sneer decorated his thin lips; his eyes were Heartless yellow.

"Let her go... LET HER GO!"

_Not again, _was all Kiri could think. _Please God not again._

It was the same man who had attacked Mystaria only days before--the one who had taken Kumo's heart, and almost killed him in the process.

"Damn you!"

Kiri twitched at the sound of Riku's voice, looking distractedly towards the younger boy.

"Let her go, right now!"

Black cloak thrown aside, Riku was standing in an amateurish ready position, gripping the hilt of his rust-corroded sword with his veins forced to stand out against his wiry muscles.

"Riku, stop it!"

But it was too late. Riku was already running forward in a headlong charge at the stranger.

The huge man smirked and did not move, just held Kairi tauntingly. She dangled helplessly in his grip, pale, weak and unconscious, dwarfed by the sheer size of his hand.

The wave of Heartless rose and surged as one, forming almost a protective barrier around the stranger's form. Riku tried to get through, but one blow was all it took to send him flying back towards the fire.

"RIKU!"

Sora dashed to his friend's side, half-sobbing in sheer terror. "Riku! RIKU!" He turned to the stranger, his blue eyes wide in helpless anguish. "KAIRI! No! KAIRI!"

"I'll send you back to Hell!" Kiri roared, broken out of his immobility by the sight of Riku's twisted, pain-paled form. Whipping out his sword, he charged, deafened by the pounding of blood in his ears.

So, of course, he couldn't hear the cries of shock from the other frozen survivors as they realized that the army of Heartless had surrounded them.

Tidus shouted; the physical fighters formed a ring around Yuna, the white-robed Minwu, and the green-haired girl named Terra, weapons bristling at the ready. Presea, with the axe, kept stray Heartless from coming too close to Sora and Riku, swinging the huge weapon in unusually masterful strokes.

The half-winged men named Cloud and Sephiroth stood back to back, each laying waste with a powerful sword--Cloud's was a thick-bladed zanbatou that reached his own height, and Sephiroth's was the longest-ass katana Kiri had ever seen, or _would _ever see, in his lifetime. Their companion Squall fought a small band of Heartless near him with an unusual weapon that Kiri, only paying a fraction of his attention, couldn't see clearly, and former soldier Motoko dealt pain with her bare hands and feet.

Yuna, holding a staff in both hands, called out imploringly to the heavens in an archaic tongue that none but she and Fabula could understand, and was rewarded when a huge birdlike creature came swirling down from the blackened skies.

Fabula herself was busy trying to get through the suddenly thick hordes of Heartless to assist Kiri in attacking the strange man, but she wasn't having much success. Kiri could tell that by the periodic shouts of frustration behind him, though he didn't spare any glances back.

He himself was stuck grappling with a bizarre Heartless that looked like a miniature version of the one he'd encountered in the Tower of the Heavens. This close, he noted that the creature's burning yellow eyes and the jewel on its forehead were obscured by a mass of tentacles on its "face", and that its hind legs had too many joints, allowing it more mobility than Kiri, who not only had to fend it off but kill multitudes of the smaller, not-quite-so-dangerous Heartless swarming around him.

Desperation gave him strength, and with half-screamed oaths, he swung his heavy red Maken through the hordes. He just _couldn't _let that bastard do to Kairi what he'd already done to Kumo--

"That bastard", meanwhile, had flipped Kairi's unresponsive body into his arms, seeming almost to cradle her as he traced a line down the center of her chest, then thrust his first two fingers and thumb down through it.

As her frail body arched in agony, Kairi screamed.

And the strange man ripped the glowing, crystallike heart from her chest.

"KAIRI!" Slamming his sword through the mini-monster Heartless's body, Kiri powered through it just as the barbaric man tossed Kairi's ragdoll form carelessly aside.

"Vermin," the stranger said carelessly, and with his now-free fist, backhanded Kiri in the same direction, sending him sprawling, only stopping when he brushed up against Kairi's limp body.

Kiri couldn't breathe. He felt almost as though he'd just been kicked in the chest by some disobedient animal. Some _powerful _disobedient animal. Choking on air that his half-crushed lungs couldn't process, he weakly rolled away from Kairi, then tried his hardest to turn her over.

Finally succeeding just as a successful gasp for breath cleared his hazing vision, Kiri almost sobbed. Kairi's chest was already soaked with her blood, and with her heart gone, it seemed she'd already lost her soul; the two were often inextricably tied together.

Meanwhile, seeing her way finally cleared, Fabula dashed forward towards the unsuspecting man, smacking his brawny wrist with a chakram and prying Kairi's heart from his hand. He whirled and struck at her, but she leaped just out of his reach; thwarted, he snarled and lunged forward, grabbing a fistful of her long silver hair and throwing her to the ground, dealing a brutal, savage kick to her momentarily helpless body.

Feeling the coldness of the Heartless' touch lapping at his body, Kiri struggled to stand back up. First Kumo, then Kairi... even if it _killed _him, he would not let that _monster _hurt Fabula too.

"It's over," the brawny stranger said coldly, staring triumphantly down at Fabula, who stubbornly clutched Kairi's heart closer to her own chest, defiance in her catlike eyes.

And from the edge of the nearby woods came the sound of a clear woman's voice...

"DIA!"

---

Lisa didn't know how long she'd been walking, unwaveringly sticking to her unknown, unplotted straight-line of a course. Her hope of finding someone, anyone, had diminished with every step she'd taken; while it had been early in the day when she'd awakened, now it was the middle of the night, and she could barely see. While she'd carried her staff before to keep it from being damaged by the clinging undergrowth, now she leaned heavily upon it, using it as a walking stick.

No marauding Heartless had attacked her; Lisa didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad one. Having her heart taken might even give her relief from the blind grief of her failure. The throbbing ache in her chest intensified as she walked along. The twins, Kaze, Aura... it was entirely her fault for falling behind and leading them to their fate. They'd have been so much better off if they'd simply left her...

The sounds of battle only slowly registered to her ears, as her mind was far more occupied by her own depression. But as the gleam of the firelight revealed the scene to her eyes, the realizations came all too quickly.

The Heartless. Attacking a camp of surviving refugees.

She had failed to protect the twins, but if she could make a difference here...

Her lips tightened in a firm line, and she nodded.

Holding up her staff so that the crystal of rose quartz would reach the masses, she concentrated her power, straining for the faint light of the stars.

"DIA!"

The crystal burst into powerful glow, casting rays of pure white light over the immediate area. Most of the Heartless--the smallest ones, Shadow Heartless as King Ansem had termed them--shrieked, their tiny bodies bursting into puffs of smoke.

There were only a handful of the monsters now, all of them shying away from the brightness of the light, distracted enough that the small group of humans could efficiently hack them up.

A tall, brawny man standing over an obviously injured woman cursed, took a few steps back, and vanished into a swirl of purple-blackness.

Sighing, Lisa cancelled the spell and dashed forward into the wreckage of what seemed to have been a town at one time.

The group of people relaxed, putting away weapons; a tan-skinned man with black eyes and a rather aquiline nose swathed in white robes dashed to the side of the silver-haired woman who still lay on her side, and a brown-haired boy who'd been kneeling beside another young man about his age dashed towards the distant forms of a red-haired man and pale, bloody little girl. "Kairi... KAIRI!"

Lisa herself headed to the side of the boy, who had silver hair and aqua-colored eyes that were beginning to flutter open. "Are you alright?" she asked, helping him into a sitting positon.

"Yeah," he said, still sounding a little disoriented, "but what about Kairi?"

Aided by the white-robed healer, the silver-haired woman walked over to the redhead, who was futilely trying to stand, and the little girl. Lisa froze as she realized that in her free hand, the woman was holding a bodiless heart.

"Don't push yourself," Lisa murmured to the boy, then chased after them. She got close enough to hear them as they began to speak to each other.

"Are... alright...?" the red-haired man gasped out, clutching a visible dent in his ribcage.

"I'm fine, just shut up and let Minwu take care of that," she told him, obviously worried. The healer, Minwu, knelt beside him and pressed glowing hands to the chest wound.

"But, Fabula... Kairi...!" he protested, trying to knock away Minwu's hands.

"Don't worry, her heart is safe," the woman named Fabula told him, displaying it. "But I don't know how to restore it to her body... all I can do is redirect the blood flow, the same way I did with Kumo..."

Lisa, breath still coming rapidly, caught up to them. "Give it here," she cried, holding her hand out.

The woman named Fabula stared, but uncertainly handed the heart over.

It was still warm. Sighing in relief, Lisa knelt beside the girl named Kairi, placing the heart in the open hollow of her chest. Closing her eyes and concentrating, she lowered the crystal of her staff to the wound, running over the incantation in her mind.

Slowly, the hollow of Kairi's gaping chest sealed over; she whimpered weakly and slowly opened disoriented blue eyes.

Sighing and leaning back, Lisa realized that Fabula, Minwu, and the red-haired man were all staring at her in disbelief.

Succeeding in shoving Minwu aside, the half-healed man stepped forward and grabbed Lisa's upper arms. She flinched at the vicelike power to his grip, but couldn't get away. His strength, and the burning intensity to his crimson eyes, held her fast.

"If you have the power to restore hearts..." he said in a savage whisper, his gaze boring deep into her soul. "You're the one whose help I need! Please... for my brother's sake... you have to lend me your power!"

(TBC)


	6. Truths and Vengeance

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the Prelude

Fabula sighed in exasperation and glared down at Kiri. "Will you lay off? You're scaring her, you moron!"

"But if she can really restore hearts, then we've _got _to have her strength," Kiri told her stubbornly, her eyes still fixed on the strange girl's.

Taking out the chakram she'd just put away, Fabula knelt beside Kiri's tense, focused form and dealt him a heavy blow to the head.

Letting go of the woman, Kiri yelled, clapping both hands to his skull. "Oww! What the _hell_ was that for! I didn't _do _anything!"

"I guess I'm gonna have to put it in your language for you to understand it," she told him in a heavy, toneless drawl. "Either you get your pathetic butt over there with Minwu and let him heal you, or I am gonna kick your ass. Capice? You do _not _want me to lose my patience with you. Don't worry. I'll explain it to her."

Giving Fabula a wary look, Kiri scooted back over to Minwu the healer, grumbling what sounded like "But aren't you _already _out of patience?" under his breath. In a supreme show of magnanimity, Fabula chose to ignore him.

"Don't let him bother you," she told the girl, who was eyeing both of them like she thought they were hot bricks. "He's _male. _He can be quite foolish sometimes."

"Will he... be alright...?" she asked slowly.

Fabula gave Kiri a dismissive glance. "Minwu can fix his chest, and as I have discovered, he has an _extremely _thick skull. You shouldn't worry about him."

"I resent that remark," Kiri said loudly, scowling. Once again, Fabula ignored him completely.

"Anyway. I'm Fabula Kronos; he's Kiri Madoushi. And you are?"

The girl nodded. "Lisa Pacifist... I'm... I _was _ambassador of the Hayakawa fiefdom, but..."

"You'll have time to tell us later; first, I need to explain to you why the two of us... _desperately _need your help right now."

Lisa blinked, looking uncertain as to whether or not she wanted to hear.

"As you may have noticed by his somewhat unusual appearance, Kiri doesn't belong to the surface world. He's one of the people of Mystaria, the realm above the clouds. Not long ago, during the ritual in which their race ensures their kingdom's yearly safety, the Heartless invaded his home city, disrupting the ceremony and removing the heart of the ceremonial dancer... Kiri's younger brother, Kumo.

"Unlike when the Heartless themselves remove hearts, it appears that a human in league with them took Kumo's heart--to do it, his chest was ripped open, like Kairi here. If I hadn't been able to create a false heart for him through magic, he would be dead now... but we need to get his heart back, or sooner or later that spell will wear off and I may not be around to replace it. He lost his soul with his heart, and he sleeps in an eternal coma...

"Kiri and I are trying to get his heart back. However, even if we do, we won't be able to save him unless we have the aid of someone with _your _powers... and there are few left in this world. Please... we _need _you. For Kumo's sake, if for nothing else..."

"And who are you, then?" Lisa asked warily.

Fabula sighed, and stared into Lisa's soul with the strange light of her eyes. "I am Kumo's Guide."

---

Whether or not Lisa actually believed their story, Kiri doubted he'd ever know. But after a few tired-sounding protests, she agreed to come with them.

As the morning rose and Minwu assured everyone that Kiri was well and fully healed, the red-haired swordsman completed his protections on the stone building, ushering the fifteen surviving members of the lost Isu inside.

As Tidus passed by, he paused for a moment, placing his hand on Kiri's shoulder. "Thank you for everything," the young man said seriously, and left.

Other goodbyes were considerably harder to make.

While not watching Lisa, Fabula spent her time speaking quietly to Yuna, Minwu, and some of the camp's young women, who she seemed to have befriended. And as for Kiri...

"So... you're really leaving, aren't you..."

It wasn't a question but a statement. And the sadness in those indigo eyes had seeded a sharp thorn in Kiri's heart.

"Yeah... I have to," he told Kairi awkwardly. "My brother's heart is still out there. I have to find it, just like we had to get yours back from that _monster. _I need him with me... I love him."

"Take care of yourself," Riku said softly, seriously. "Try not to do anything really stupid. And listen to Fabula's advice. She knows what she's talking about."

"Women always seem to," Kiri joked humorlessly. "I'll be okay, I think."

"You better come back," Kairi pouted.

"I _know _I will," Kiri assured her. "When my brother gets his heart back, I want him to meet you. That's a promise."

Kairi threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in the hollow below his diaphragm, her thin shoulders trembling slightly. Gently, Kiri put his hands on her back and held her there for a few fleeting moments before they released one another.

Wordlessly, Riku and Kairi went back into the stone building. Only Sora stayed, a strangely adult solemnity in his bright blue eyes.

As Kiri watched, nonplussed, Sora put his hands behind his head and started fiddling with something... something that wasn't the clasp of the heavy chain that bore the silver crown resting at his solar plexus.

Fixing whatever it was he'd wanted to fix, Sora walked over, then pulled a softer chain and pendant from beneath his clothes. His eyes still intense, he held it out towards Kiri.

"Take it. It's a charm that's been passed down through my family for a long time... it'll protect you."

"I shouldn't...," Kiri tried to protest, doubt in his crimson eyes.

Sora pressed it into the swordsman's hand, then curled his long fingers around the metal. "This is all I can do for you now. Even though you risked so much to help us... to try to protect Riku and Kairi and everyone... this is all I can do. Keep it. It can protect you."

Kiri gave the boy a sad crooked smile. "Okay."

The pendant hooked to the fine chainlinks was formed in the shape of a tiny key. The eye, a square of metal with rounded corners, was a brassy color, the shaft and tumblers silver. Looking at it, Kiri could tell that it was very old, though it still looked new.

And something about it... just felt _right _to him. Feeling slightly more at ease, Kiri fastened the clasp of the chain at the back of his neck. The little key fell a few inches below his collarbones, just beneath the fabric of his blouse.

When Kiri looked back up, Sora was standing at the doors to the stone building upon which he'd cast his protection, his child's face slightly turned so that he was peeking over his shoulder. Knowing that Kiri was watching, the little brunet nodded and went inside.

---

"So, where the hell are we going now?"

Fabula sighed. "According to Lisa, there's a Church of Angelus a little to the southwest of here. Hopefully, it's still standing... she said that that's where she and her party were headed when they left the southern fiefdom."

"Explain this Angelus thing to me," Kiri said flatly. "You both forget--A, I'm not from around here, and B, I'm a Taoist. I don't usually have much to do with people from other religions 'cause everyone else in Mystaria is a Taoist, too."

Lisa spoke for the first time since they'd left the camp of Forlorn Hope. "It's a religious sect that blends some points of Kirishitan belief with the indigenous customs of the followers of the sect's goddess, Cruxis Angelus."

Fabula smiled wryly and stretched, not stopping as she did so. "My, how the times do change. I suppose it's been so long that most people've forgotten the truth."

"Then enlighten us, O Brilliant One," Kiri grouched. He was hungry, and his temper had automatically prickled to hide his sadness at leaving Kairi behind.

Kiri's prickles weren't fazing Fabula a single bit. Kumo had been absolutely right when he'd told his brother that she was almost unnaturally patient. "I still remember... though I would, being what I am. Cruxis Angelus was the first Guide. When her mortal body died, she chose to linger as a protective spirit instead of passing to her final rest. It's said that she made a pact with the omnipresent spirit referred to by most religions as God in order to remain behind--she would continue to aid chosen people by appearing to them in dreams and at points of utmost need as long as she didn't interfere directly with mortal affairs. A lot of people, Kirishitans mostly, actually prayed for her guidance, and I guess that this is what it's grown into. People see her as a goddess herself."

"You don't say." Kiri was nonplussed.

"You must have a very long memory," Lisa said politely.

"Damn straight. It's been so long that a lot of the more unimportant memories have blurred and faded. I _know _everything that happened to me in my lifetime, but I can't _picture _a lot of things. The human mind can only hold so much, you know. And except for Cruxis Angelus, we Guides are _very _human. Cruxis Angelus couldn't be killed, but if one of us lingers for too long in dangerous situations, we can die. All of the other Guides I know of, in fact, either went crazy, killed themselves, or both. They couldn't stand living as long as they have."

"That's nice. Is it lunchtime yet?"

"Stop whining, Madoushi," Fabula said in a singsong tone. "We aren't that far from the church. We'll eat when we get there."

---

"Church" was a bit of an understatement.

Kiri was awed by the sheer size of the building. It was an immense Gothic chapel, as large or larger than any of the majestic stone holds of Mystaria. Each of its doors came to a sharp arch at the top; its windows were all covered in sheets of stained glass. From what he'd heard, it wasn't a far departure from the ornate Kirishitan sanctuaries in the countries to the far west, across the sea.

Flanked by Lisa and Fabula, Kiri shook himself and headed up to the double doors, smacking the knocker against the metal panel behind it three times.

In response, the doors creaked open enough to allow the three travelers a glimpse of pale skin and an intense crimson eye; after a moment of sharp scrutiny, the tall panels of wood opened further. The eye belonged to a tall, pale, severe-looking man in nearly-black violet priest's robes. His face was long, lean, and saturnine; his hair was perfectly white, and his skin nearly matched it in shade. It seemed that only his eyes had any color at all in him--they were fiery scarlet, gleaming with sharp intelligence.

"Travelers?" he asked. His voice was of medium tone, but more gentle than Kiri's sharp one, and slightly accented. "You had better come inside before any Heartless get here."

The three of them followed him; as soon as they were past the doors, the robed man closed them again and bolted them with a bar of solid iron.

"What brings you to this place, if you do not mind the forwardness of the question?"

"We're on a journey to take my brother's heart back from the Heartless who stole it," Kiri answered, staring levelly into the man's eyes. "We need a place to rest and were hoping that we'd be able to stay here for one or two days along our journey. My name is Kiri Madoushi; my companions are Fabula Kronos and Lisa Pacifist."

"Lisa Pacifist of the southern fiefdom?" the robed man asked, sounding mildly surprised. "Well met, indeed. That is a well-known name around these parts." Lisa blushed bright pink with the praise. "My name is Ghaleon; I am the archpriest of this division of the Church of Cruxis Angelus. You are welcome to stay here, but... the Heartless may attack at any time. They--or rather, the man directing them--are after the hearts of two of the acolytes here."

Kiri's eyebrows went quickly up and down. "They're _after _someone's heart? I've never heard of the Heartless actually going after somebody specific before."

"Neither had we, until that man began to appear during the attacks. His name is Koryu Gaddys; he's a foreigner who specializes in physical fighting. Like the Heartless, he can also remove hearts..."

"We've seen him before," Fabula asserted. "Someone fitting that description attacked the refugees of Isu while we were with them."

Kiri stared. "Then that means... _he's _the one who took Kumo's heart...!"

Ghaleon nodded. "Neither I nor any of the others here knows precisely why this Koryu Gaddys goes after the ones he does, but there must be some connection. He'll even forgo taking others' hearts to get to his intended victims."

The smaller oaken doors that led to the main chamber of the church creaked open; a young woman walked through. She, like Ghaleon, was robed; her robes were black, and she'd left her hood down, allowing her long wavy blonde hair to cascade down her back. Also like Ghaleon, she had crimson eyes; her features were not quite so sharp and Western as his, and seemed somewhat severe. Though her thick straight brows noted her headstrong nature, the softness about her lips betrayed an element of sensitivity that kept her from seeming too masculine. Kiri couldn't help noticing how her robes draped over her full figure; upon her chest lay a simple silver oval pendant, possibly some token of her faith.

"Ghaleon, what's...?" she began to ask, looking uncertainly between the archpriest and Kiri's party.

"They're travelers who wish to stay the night," Ghaleon explained. "Kiri, Fabula, Lisa, this is Xenobia, one of the high priestesses here. Xenobia, please show these guests to an extra room in back."

"Yes," the blonde replied, still giving Kiri and the girls a sharp, judging look.

After they'd been walking for a few moments, Fabula spoke.

"It's hard to believe that the Heartless are actually after somebody's heart, isn't it..."

Xenobia shook her head. "No... it seemed that way at first, but... with Lucia and Luna, we should've guessed." At the strange looks that she got from her guests, she shook her head. "Maybe I should go back and explain. Lucia and Luna, the acolytes that Gaddys man is after, were abandoned on the doorstep of the chapel as babies. The archpriest before Ghaleon took them in, of course, but... it soon became clear that the two of them have... powers.

"Lucia, for example, never got any training as a mage, but she has significant ability to cast holy spells. She has no idea how she knows them, but she does; it's largely due to her protections that we've lasted this long. And Luna might seem to be an ordinary girl, but... she has strange abilities too. Her songs...

"Anyway, there's something in their hearts that those people want, and it doesn't seem like they'll stop until they get it."

A crease formed between Lisa's fine black brows, and she shook her head. "Come to think of it... maybe there was some reason that the Heartless kept attacking our fiefdom... it was strange that they didn't just move on to easier prey when their first attempts failed."

"And that guy who attacked us sure did seem hell-bent on taking Kumo's heart," Kiri added.

"I hate the Heartless," Xenobia said bitterly, her fists clenching beneath the silklike fabric of her robes. "Because of them, my sister Phacia is dead... and so many others, too." Kiri turned to face her, surprised at both the venom in her voice and the stark candidness of the confession. Of course, no one could blame her, and he felt the same, but... "Ghaleon and my little sister Royce are all I have left now..."

"Oh... what's your relation to Archpriest Ghaleon, then?" Lisa inquired.

"We're..." Xenobia sighed and shook her head. "We _were _engaged. But this whole thing with the Heartless has turned him into a completely different person from before."

"I forgot to mention to you that the priesthood of the Cruxis faction, unlike in other religions, is allowed to marry," Fabula explained in an undertone. "It's a little unusual, but it's a way to remind the people that even priests are only human."

"The Heartless have taken away the Ghaleon that I used to know as well," Xenobia finished, her eyes dark and angry.

"I can understand exactly how you feel," Kiri said softly. "The Heartless nearly killed my brother, they stole his heart, they have my people living in constant fear, unable to leave their homes. Because of what they did, I had to leave everything I knew behind me. I don't really know much about this world, but... what I've seen so far is just... I hate them. They're monsters, making innocent people suffer so much. One day... when I have my Kumo's heart back, and I've saved him... I will destroy them all."

For a moment, Fabula seemed as if she were going to say something, but after a moment's pause shook her head and didn't comment.

---

After eating, Lisa chose to explore the chapel a bit.

Leaving Kiri and Fabula in their room with a soft, murmured apology, she slipped back into the main chambers, looking around in awe. The grandeur of the building was still apparent from the inside, and the patterns of the stained glass were now so much easier to see. Walking in a daze, Lisa didn't notice the other person roaming between the pews until the two of them bumped into each other.

"I'm sorry, I didn't..." Lisa began, stammering as her face began to flame.

"It's fine," the other person said with a smile. "Should've known that at least one of you would be back out here, anyway." It was a girl, somewhere in her mid-teens, with the same crimson eyes as Xenobia and well-conditioned, bobbed blonde hair. An emerald streak, apparently a tattoo, ran from the corner of one eye down her cheek; her eyes were bright and her demeanor friendly. She wore a green cloak over her skirt and middy top; upon her chest glittered a silver pentacle. To Lisa's eyes, she looked more like a Wiccan than a Cruxian. "I'm Royce... my sis told me about you guys."

"Lisa Pacifist," the black-haired woman gave by way of flustered introduction.

"So, wanna reading?" At Lisa's blank look, Royce laughed. "I'm a fortune teller. Do you want a palm reading? I left my Tarot deck in my room, unfortunately for you, since those tend to be a little clearer."

"Uh..." Confused, Lisa could come up with no answer.

"Okay!" Still grinning exuberantly, Royce grabbed Lisa's hand. "Of course, I'm not charging you anything. I do this because it's fun." Unable to jerk away, Lisa stood blushing as the energetic blonde stared into the delicate lines on her flesh. "Hm... you have unusual hands, you know. Your powers show even this way; you know I'm not just talking about your magic. You can do great things against the Heartless in your lifetime." Once again, Royce fell silent. "It seems," she said at length, "that you've got a life ahead of you as unusual as your hands themselves. Look at this." She pointed to one tiny line. "See how this one curves against this? You've parted ways with people, but you'll see them again. And according to this... you'll end up happily married, or at least with a child. You seem like the happy family type to me, so that makes sense. And here..." Royce frowned.

"What?" Lisa asked, curious despite herself.

"That's weird. You've got a skip in your life line."

As Lisa stared uncomprehending, Royce went on. "That's really bizarre. I've only ever read about it before. It could mean just about anything, from the possibility that you'll go on a long journey to the fact that you could actually _die _for a little while. That's soooo cool! It's the kind of thing that you always hear about, but never see. You're a lucky woman, Miss Pacifist. But then... I suppose it's not exactly normal to be able to meet the incarnations of ai, yu, shin, and chi in your lifetime, either."

"What are...?" Lisa began, utterly confused.

"Ai, yu, shin, and chi! Don't you know what they are? Those are the four spirits that make up the human soul. You of all people should know about _those!" _When Lisa continued to shake her head, Royce sighed. "Okay, then. Ai is the spirit of love, yu is the spirit of courage, shin is the spirit of friendship, and chi is the spirit of knowledge. It takes all four of those things to actually create a human soul. And you'll get to meet the true incarnation of each spirit... you lucky girl. I'm so jealous. I hate you." Royce's beaming smile grew wistful, then dropped from her face. "Oh crap, I forgot to set out the rosewater! Merde and shit! I gotta go now, see you later, then..." And the girl dashed off, leaving Lisa utterly confused in the aisle.

"What was that all about...?" the black-haired mage asked to herself, then shook her head and tried to get back to admiring the surroundings.

---

It was the tiny, minute creak of door hinges that woke Kiri up. At the sound, and the faint retreat of candlelight, he let his eyes snap open, and lay silently without a moment of disorientation. Looking over at the door, he saw only the sweep of long silver hair trailing off around the corner. He cursed. Fabula, getting up in the middle of the night for some unknown purpose.

Waiting to give her some time to get ahead, he carefully got up, still fully clothed, and padded over the ornate rug, not making a single sound. Neither his clothes nor his cloak rustled; he was skilled at stealthy movement after being drilled on it by several successive masters. By the time he got into the hall, all he could see was the retreating glow of the light; that was alright with him. Fabula was trying to be quiet, but he could still hear the squeak of the wood boards beneath her feet. She could be stealthy, but she was no Taoist, able to convince the boards with doujutsu that she weighed nothing. It was the same as walking on water. It cost precious energy, but he had to know what she was up to.

By the time he reached the door to the main chamber, she had ended her little midnight trek. She was on her knees before the altar, her candle on the front pew, giving the room a flickering glow.

There was something on the altar before her. Edging a little closer, Kiri stared at it. It seemed to be some sort of sprite, although he'd never seen any elemental creature like this before. It looked like a tiny, winged human; it wore heavy-looking armor in various shades of pink, marked with a white cross, the arms of which ended in points. From under its helm flew a cloud of lavender hair; its large eyes were golden and intelligent.

"Please, give me more time," Fabula was saying to it in a desperate voice. "Just a little more time!"

The spritelike thing shook its head. "Kukuriyu."

"It shouldn't matter, I'm going to get the same punishment anyway! Let me accomplish what I came here to do! Or would you want it to be for nothing?"

"Ku."

"I only need a little more time! It shouldn't matter! _Please! _The life of an innocent child depends on it! What good can we do, if we can't even save the ones we're supposed to be protecting?"

"Kukuriyu."

"Please carry my message to Mother Cruxis. _Please. _I just need time. You should know that once I've done what I need to do, I won't try to run. I knew what I was doing the moment I set my foot on the soil of this world. And when the time comes, I will accept responsibility. _Please!"_

"Kukuriyu..."

And the little spritelike thing was gone, a streak of light blazing straight up, leaving tiny golden sparks in its wake.

Fabula stood and turned, and Kiri felt like his heart had suddenly stopped. On her usually calm and pleasant face was a look of such twisted torment that his chest instantly began to ache, and before he knew what he was doing, he'd left his hiding place to go to her.

"What was that thing?" he asked in a low voice. She didn't start; Kiri knew she'd probably guessed he would come, even if she couldn't sense his power.

"One of Cruxis Angelus' envoys. I don't know how long she'll just let me stay here like this without forcing me to take the penalty."

"What penalty?" Kiri asked, tracing her features with his eyes. That expression still hadn't left her face. It was really starting to unnerve him.

"You know that Guides aren't meant to stay in the mortal world, or interfere with mortal affairs. That's the law that governs our kind. I've broken that law. For all laws there is a consequence, in case someone breaks them. And since I've done that, I'm going to have to accept the punishment. Sooner or later. I've been trying to buy time, so that I won't have to face my sins until we have Kumo's heart back, but..."

_She must really be in trouble. _Kiri had never heard her speak like this, in a voice trembling and thick with unshed tears. "Fabula, what is it? What is the penalty for overstepping your bounds as a Guide?"

She looked up at him and smiled, the picture of the calm and carefree spirit he usually saw from her.

And she fled.

Kiri just stared after her, unable to process his confusion. He'd never seen her act like this before. She was _really _scared, and she didn't want to tell him anything.

Even if he got his brother's heart back, if Kumo was saved... what fate was he leaving her to?

(TBC)


	7. Truths and Vengeance, part 2

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the prelude

Lisa woke late that morning, and hurried into the main halls of the church when she realized that both her companions had already left. A small table had been set in the center of the room, in the wide gap between the two rows of pews. Among the people seated there, she saw Royce, who she'd wanted to avoid after that strange incident the other day, more priests and priestesses, a few people who looked like villagers from nearby hamlets, and a pair of blue-haired girls who had to be the infamous twins who'd attracted that Koryu Gaddys' attention. Near the far end of the table, Kiri and Fabula sat quietly, picking at their food. That was unusual... normally, the two would be prodding at each other good-naturedly. Even though Lisa hadn't known them for very long, she did know that Kiri had a hard time keeping his foot out of his mouth, and that while Fabula would get nothing more than mildly annoyed, she would retort for the sake of argument. To see them both depressed like that...

Making her way carefully down the aisle, Lisa stopped at an open seat across from one of the blue-haired girls and a brown-haired village boy. "May I?" she inquired softly.

The boy looked up and nodded, so she did. There was already a plate of food before her, so Lisa set into it, knowing full well that beggars couldn't be choosers.

After she'd gotten through most of her meal, however, Lisa couldn't help but take notice of the girl before her's glum expression. "Excuse me..." She didn't like to pry, but she also didn't like having to watch people be miserable. "What seems to be the problem?"

The girl looked up at her, but the expression didn't change. She seemed to be about fifteen or sixteen, and was wearing plain peasant clothes--a cotton yellow dress and woolen overskirts. Her blue hair was bound by a patterned headscarf, and her features were beautiful in a simple, delicate way. Her eyes, wide and honest, were the same azure shade as her hair, and hazed with grief. Her rose-lipped mouth was arranged in a tiny frown of dissatisfaction, and in a face so inclined to mirth, it was starting to get Lisa depressed.

"It's all because of Lucia and me that this is happening," the girl, apparently Luna, said softly, staring at the hands neatly folded in her lap.

"Don't think like that," the green-eyed, brown-haired boy insisted. "That's not gonna help anything."

"But because the Heartless want us, everyone... and High Priestess Phacia..." Luna shook her head. "So many people are dead, and even more... even more are still suffering here! It would've been so much better if neither of us had ever come to this place..."

Lisa reached across the table to put a hand on Luna's shoulder. "Your friend is right," she said gently. "Please, don't blame yourself for things that are the fault of that Koryu Gaddys man."

"But all of my friends...!" Luna bowed her head, refusing to be consoled. Beneath Lisa's hands, her shoulders were shaking. "Alex, how can you even stand to come near me? All of our friends... Nash, and Mia, and Kyle and Jessica and Hiro and everyone... they all died because of me!"

"So don't you think you should live because of them?" Lisa asked, smiling. Luna looked up, blinking away tears. "You must be very special to all of them if they sacrificed themselves so you could keep on living. So you mustn't give in, do you understand? If you die, all they've done for you will just go to waste. Never give up. You must always keep fighting for their sake."

"She's right," Luna's friend said. "What do you think everybody'd say if they saw you moping like this? They'd be so mad... they gave you this chance to survive, so..."

Lisa smiled and got up. The less depressed people around, the better. She liked helping those like Luna--Joseph had always had her take care of the travelers who came to their fiefdom with losses or grievances. Somehow, she could always reach them where the words of many other people couldn't.

Heading for the end of the table where Kiri and Fabula sat, Lisa caught a brief glimpse of Ghaleon, the priest who'd greeted them the other day, and the blonde priestess Xenobia sitting side by side in the shadows. Ghaleon was staring at the floor, looking gloomy as ever, and his fiancée was leaning on his shoulder, her eyes closed, wearing a weary expression.

Sighing, Lisa continued on her way. She couldn't help everyone. Besides, she had a feeling that whatever was troubling those two was much more personal than Luna's woes. Defeatedly, she sat down again across from her traveling companions.

"Is something wrong?" she asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

Kiri scowled at his breakfast. "Nothing," he said in a tight, angry voice. "Not one Tao-blest thing."

Lisa flinched.

Sighing, the redhead grimaced. "I'm sorry. But I'm not the one you should be asking." He gave Fabula a significant sidelong look, but she either didn't notice it or chose not to respond to it.

But, of course, Fabula wouldn't say a word. If she was troubled, Lisa couldn't get anything out of her. After being asked several times by the black-haired healer if she was alright, she said simply that she was still tired, and was sorry if her silence was perturbing.

Kiri's irritable glare, however, somewhat disproved her words.

---

After the meal ended and Fabula began to retreat to the small party's room, Kiri chased after her.

Catching up to her, he gripped her upper arm to keep her from running and forced her to look him in the eye. "What are you playing at, dammit? What are you so afraid of? If you're in trouble, you should tell us... tell _me! _Maybe there's something we can do to help!"

Wearing the same perfect, carefree smile she had the previous night, Fabula shook her head. "I'm afraid you don't know enough about the situation. There's nothing you _can _do. I have it under control, so stop being so damn _intrusive. _Now, Madoushi, kindly take your hands off me. This is no way to treat a woman."

Kiri's face flamed, but just as he opened his mouth to tell her exactly how he thought stubborn, lying women should be treated, one of the girls passed them in the hall.

Prying Kiri's hand off her arm, Fabula fell into step with her. "Royce, right? I've been meaning to talk to you since last night..." The two of them walked off, chatting like old friends, while Kiri was left fuming in the middle of the hall.

"Errrrgh!" Kiri badly wished he had something he could throw. Or break. Fabula was driving him absolutely _insane. _How could she stand to act so _normal, _after her obvious fear last night? And why the hell was she lying when Kiri was just concerned for her well-being?

"That pendant..."

Kiri blinked. Ghaleon, the archpriest, had silently joined him, and was staring in some surprise at the little key charm that had fallen into the open while the red-haired swordsman had chased Fabula down. "What, this? A kid named Sora gave it to me..."

"Do you know what this is?"

Apparently, the key had some significance to Ghaleon, but not to Kiri. He shook his head.

"I believe I'll have to explain the legend first... Stories of ancient times tell us that long ago, when this world was threatened by an outside force, a hero rose from the shadows with a magical weapon called a Keyblade. Although it drew evil to it by its open nature, it was a mighty tool that the hero used to seal away the powers that oppressed the people. According to legend, the term 'Keyblade' itself was literal--the weapon was a large sword in the form of a key. It had the power to lock and unlock worlds, memories, and even hearts.

"Some noble families of that time, as well as the hero's family, began to use the Keyblade insignia as a protective charm to ward off evil. Keyblade pendants like yours are generally said to help guide the wearer on the path they seek... the child you mentioned must have quite an interesting ancestry."

Spiky-headed Sora, the descendant of a hero to which the world was indebted? Maybe. What with the little fourteen-year-old's childish innocence and immaturity, though, it was a little hard to picture.

Ghaleon sighed. "In times like these, one can only wish that another hero would rise, with a new Keyblade of his own..."

Kiri shook thoughts of Sora out of his head and sighed.

"Yeah, I know. I'm not really... all that familiar with this world, but from the things I've heard... Isu, the supposed destruction of Lisa's home fief, and now this place... is the entire surface world like this?"

"The world... I'm not certain, no one can be. We only hear rumors as they're passed through Proxia and the large islands in the Weyardan archipelago. Supposedly, Windaria and the surrounding lands were demolished; certainly our own country is falling apart.

"For a while, it seemed as though we would have a chance... King Ansem was a scholarly man who had studied the Heartless since their first appearance. He kept records of the creatures, determined their weaknesses, experimented on them. However, not long ago, Heartless began to appear in great force throughout the land, and shortly after that, all contact with the capital city and its bastion was lost. No news of the king, or his son, has been heard since.

"Our capital, Ivalice, has always been supported by its three fiefdoms... those would be Conkram, to the northeast, overseen by Duke Nebular, Duchess Minea, and their children; Sephira, a little to the northwest, ruled by General Gaius and Countess Ivy; and Hayakawa, to the south, in the charge of Joseph and Mary, the diplomats of the realm. In addition, there's also Bellebane, the northwestern port--the La Flaga family there has given much financial support to the country in its hardest times. These cities, as well as the small towns and villages between them, have served as a network of alliances which the people can draw on in times of trouble. But with the sudden influx of Heartless... all ties have been severed. Lisa has come with the first news of the Hayakawa fiefdom thus far... and it isn't good to hear. Likewise, you've given us the first word from Isu... and it's good to know that there were survivors, however few.

"Yes, the state of the country is much the same, although I can't speak for every town or city. We are all isolated, clinging to each other in terror, devoid of the hope that one day things will be better. Our highest goal is 'survival'. If this goes on any longer, there will most likely be another Dark Age in which all technology is lost, along with all knowledge of other nations. We've already lost contact with Lycanthia, and that lies within our boundaries."

Kiri was silent for a few moments. "When I first came here, all I could think about was the fact that my brother's heart would be here somewhere, and that I had to find it and get back home to Mystaria as soon as possible. I didn't care about this world... I'd been taught to stay away from it, because it was initially the prejudice and hatred of the other human races that had driven us into the sky. And yet... I look around, and the Heartless are everywhere. Everyone is suffering, whether they deserve it or not. People are out of food and water and supplies and shelter, and everybody I meet seems to be despairing. Nobody dreams anymore.

"It makes me feel really guilty. I mean, in Mystaria... every building has a seal on it that gets renewed every year, so that Heartless can't get in, even if the major protections on the cities do fail. We've got supplies and weapons, and we've kept our unique culture intact throughout the years. I've gone all my life with nary a thought to how people on the ground live.

"I've lived for nineteen years without even realizing how lucky we are.

"I used to just think I could get Kumo's heart and go home happy, but... I _can't. _Not knowing things are so bad down here. I won't be able to live with myself if I don't do something about it, even though I've got no idea what I can do. The only thing I know for certain is... that the Heartless have to be stopped. If things are just left as they are... all the human races are gonna die out."

Ghaleon looked curiously at Kiri for a few moments, his straight white brows taking on a slight upwards arch.

"What?"

The pale-faced man simply smiled and shook his head. "I was only thinking that you're well-suited to wear the sign of the Keyblade... that's all."

---

The rest of the day was uneventful, even if it was tiring. Fabula spent her time finding excuses to avoid Kiri; in turn, Kiri tried his hardest to demolish each excuse as it was established. Lisa wove back and forth between the survivors of lost villages, doing her best to lift the despair and depression wherever she could. The three of them only truly met up once, just before sunset, to decide where to go next.

"We have to find that Koryu Gaddys guy," Kiri said doggedly, the coals of anger burning in his crimson eyes. "He's the one who took Kumo's heart, after all."

"But where could we possibly find him if we went out looking?" Fabula asked, arching one eyebrow. "If we're leaving tomorrow, then it's going to be difficult to locate him. This is a big country, and he could be holed up almost anywhere."

"We're _not _leaving," Kiri replied simply.

"So you _do _have a brain in your head," Fabula commented, sounding mildly impressed. "Well done."

"I'm afraid I don't see the reasoning..." Lisa said softly, shaking her head.

"Well, think about it for a minute," Kiri coaxed. "Koryu Gaddys is after people's hearts. _Specific _people's hearts. And he's already targeted Luna and Lucia here."

"Oh... so we're just going to wait for him to come to us?"

"Exactly... good girl," was Fabula's response. "If you're trying to find a needle in a haystack, don't waste time digging. Just bring a magnet."

And that seemed to have concluded their meeting; Fabula wandered off, Kiri went back to chasing her, and Lisa was left to roam aimlessly between victims once again.

As it turned out, they didn't have long to wait.

Night had only persisted for two hours before a shouted alarm passed through the church's halls: "It's the Heartless! The Heartless have come!"

"If they batter the defenses too much, they'll fail," Ghaleon was telling a group of people when Kiri, Fabula, and Lisa arrived. "We have to try to fight them off before then. It's not just Shadow Heartless this time, there are Darkballs and Invisibles too, so _be careful. _I haven't seen Gaddys yet, but he's sure to be here too. Luna and Lucia, you stay in the back, under guard--you'll be using _support magic only. _And Lucia, you have to put as much extra strength into the barriers as humanly possible. Those who can, stay back to defend them... I'll lead Xenobia, Royce, and some of the others in a full-scale attack. I'm done playing nice. Remember your loved ones who fell at their hands! Fight for their sake!"

"What should we do?" Kiri asked breathlessly.

Ghaleon looked to them, surprised. "If you want to help us fight, please, anything you can do would be good. Play to your own strengths... you know where you should be better than I."

"Right." Turning to his companions, Kiri nodded. "Any bright ideas before the wave hits?"

Lisa stepped forward, looking slightly uncertain. "I can cast light magic; maybe--"

Kiri cut her off, shaking his head. "No. You're too valuable... you need to stay with the girls, in the back. You're going to need to heal the injured, anyway." Crestfallen, Lisa headed back to where Luna and Lucia were already stationing themselves, guarded by a number of priests and villagers--Luna's friend Alex among them. "Er... Fabula... you're going to be at the front, right?"

"Don't ask stupid questions if you already know the answers to them," Fabula scolded. Abandoning her attempt to look stern, she grinned, looking wild and feral. "Yeah, of course. I'm not gonna let you have all the fun out here." Kiri nodded and began to turn away, but she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Wait... I almost forgot, this should be of help to you."

Turning, Kiri was surprised to see that Fabula had closed her eyes with a look of intense concentration on her smooth features. Her chakrams, which she had taken out, began to orbit her wrists, untouched, as she held her palms out towards the red-clad swordsman. "Hands of time, thy servant beseecheth thee--grant thy boon upon this mortal form..." Almost instantly, the slowly spinning chakrams began to speed up. "Hastaga!"

Kiri felt the smooth, cool feel of unfamiliar magic wash over his body, and held up his hands. "Whoa... I almost forgot, you can cast spells too... what'll...?"

"Your natural reflexes have been enhanced," Fabula explained. "That's a Haste-type spell... you'll be able to move more quickly in battle, and any spells you yourself might cast will take less time to load up." Correctly interpreting Kiri's concerned look, she smiled mischievously. "Don't worry about me... I'm not gonna get in trouble for this. Before I became a Guide, I was a time mage... and those skills have never quite lost their usefulness." Still smiling slightly, she waltzed off to join Xenobia and Royce in the frontlines, her long silver hair rippling behind her.

Unable to keep from smiling himself, Kiri edged over to Ghaleon, shifting his grip on the hilt of his Maken experimentally. This would be an interesting, perhaps even enjoyable battle.

"Don't let your guard down," Ghaleon murmured beside him.

And as the heavy doors opened to the outside, all hell broke loose.

The land immediately outside the chapel was simply teeming with small dark bodies; luminous yellow eyes blinked out of the malevolent mass like tiny glowing flowers in a field of black grass.

"Oh, boy," Kiri said resignedly, whipping out his sword and grinning wryly.

The fighters threw themselves forward, and pandemonium ensued.

Kiri slashed wildly through the thicket of Heartless, his bloodred Maken cleaving temporary swaths of color through the horde. Defeated, the tiny creatures squealed and pooled into dark puddles on the ground, vanishing. Barely aware of what he was doing, he simply let his mind go blank, allowing his body and training to think for him. He whirled, twisted, thrust, sliced, and parried automatically, a red blur in the sea of purplish-black around him.

Ghaleon and Xenobia led an equally furious assault upon the creatures that had cost them so much; the archpriest with his own brand of powerful magic and a Western-style, double-edged sword, the priestess with a bright-bladed katana. She'd abandoned her heavy robes and pinned up her long hair; at the moment, she simply wore a black cloth skirt and white breastband, revealing that her body was covered in tattoos with magical properties. There was a grim light in her eyes as she tore violently into the monsters that had taken her sister away.

Other defenders were also having luck in driving the Heartless back; Fabula for one was a source of encouragement for the others--she waded into battle, sending her chakrams spinning into the masses, her long hair a bright curtain reflecting the limited starlight from above them.

Having run through a beastlike, sword-wielding Heartless, Kiri had stopped for a moment to breathe when he heard the shouts of some of the others strewn across the battlefield. Turning, he caught sight of a huge, swelling black form rising out of the masses of small Heartless. It was of the same sort as the monstrosity he and Fabula had encountered in the Tower of the Heavens--its yellow-eyed face surrounded by a mass of tangled tentacles, its body immense and brutish. With the lighting of the sky to aid him, Kiri took note that there was a large, heart-shaped hole in its torso.

"A Darkside... here!" Ghaleon gasped out, looking paler than ever. "We haven't got a chance...!"

"HEY!" Xenobia yelled, pointing at something slightly behind the black behemoth. "It's that Koryu Gaddys again!"

Kiri looked; surely enough, there was a flash of red, spiky hair from somewhere in the seemingly endless field of Heartless.

"You bastard, get your ass back here!" the blonde yelled, oblivious to the danger as she began to slice a path after him.

"XENOBIA!" Ghaleon yelled after her, but she didn't take any notice of him. The huge Heartless--they'd called it a Darkside--swung a boulder-sized fist at her; the blow connected, and she went down with a yell. Ghaleon, suddenly as oblivious as she had been, ran to her, knocking aside small Heartless as he went.

Fighting his way back to the rest of the defenders, Kiri yelled, "Somebody, COVER ME!" at the top of his lungs. A few priests encircled him, and not taking the time to think, the redhead breathed soft and low, sending a crimson haze into the air around him.

With the ease of a well-practiced master, Kiri carefully pulled one of the glass bottles from his belt, focusing all his mind on his intentions. It was barely more than a reflexive motion to guide his Maken into the air above him; the true focus of his intention was the incantation he whispered as he held the Mist bottle before him, between his first two fingers: "Enveloped in a beautiful and eternal song... now _sleep!" _ Flicking the glass container into the air, he took hold of his sword hilt, letting his voice rise to a roar. "PURE RED REQUIEM!"

One sword strike was enough to cleave the bottle; there was a brilliant flash, and the crimson, serpentine dragon known as the Ittouju erupted from its shattered shell. With a hiss, it blasted a beam of pure energy straight at the Darkside Heartless, clipping its side and tearing an immense hole in the ranks of Heartless, vaporizing them on contact. With an angry hiss at its failure, the dragon flew straight at the giant Heartless, hitting it face-on and destroying it completely.

Suddenly dizzy, Kiri staggered slightly, his breathing hard and uneven. Relief made his joints strangely weak; he'd managed to save Xenobia and get rid of the huge ugly thing that'd been causing so much uproar. His vision hazing, Kiri slipped backwards; a pair of supportive arms caught him, and a familiar voice began to order the nearby priests around as he absently listened. "Get back to weeding out the small fries, staring is rude. Madoushi, you moron... let's get back to Lisa, now... that took too much out of you for you to stay here. We'll be alright, so don't try to stand up on your own."

Kiri couldn't've protested if he wanted to; Fabula was already marching him back through the ranks. Briefly describing the situation to Lisa, she gently deposited him against the chapel doors. The healer had just knelt beside him when the swordsman gratefully blacked out.

---

"--you understand how I'd have felt if I'd lost you! Don't _do _things like that! I can understand your desire to avenge Phacia, but all the same... I can't let you risk yourself like that!"

It was Ghaleon's voice. Groggily, Kiri blinked sleepiness out of his eyes. He was inside the chapel, on a bed--and a few pallets away from him, Xenobia was being read the riot act by her fiancé.

"Urgh," he managed, trying to sit up.

Beside him, Fabula, who'd apparently been sitting there for a while, forced him back down. "No, you moron, stay there! Summoning when you were already tired out from fighting completely drained your energy reserves, so you need to REST!"

"What about Koryu Gaddys?" Kiri wanted to know, lying back down obediently.

"He got away," Fabula replied grimly. "But he headed in the direction of the Sephira fiefdom, so when we get out of here, we'll know where to start looking."

Kiri was silent for a moment. Then: "How many casualties?" he asked in a dry, husky whisper.

Fabula was also silent. "There were only a few," she informed him seriously. "More were injured, but they'll be alright now. It was very, very lucky--though extremely foolhardy--that you took that Darkside out before it could do any real damage. No more questions, though. Anything else can wait until we leave. You, sir, need bed rest. Go back to sleep."

And although Kiri still had one more inquiry, he did as he was told. It was one that he thought he wouldn't get an answer to, anyway.

---

It was about another half day before the three travelers were in the state to leave the Church of Angelus in search of Koryu Gaddys.

"Take care," Ghaleon told them fervently at the doors. "Always keep the light in your hearts burning strong. And, Kiri--remember that Keyblade."

Smiling, the red-haired swordsman clutched the tiny talisman at his collarbones and nodded.

"I hope you find your brother's heart really soon," Xenobia said from her fiancé's side.

"So do we," Fabula replied. "Stay alive, now."

As the three of them headed away, Lisa heard Royce call, "Hey, Lisa-san! Come back here sometime, okay? I wanna be able to tell another fortune for you!"

Turning towards the direction of the Sephira fief, the black-haired woman smiled.

(TBC)


	8. Destiny Intertwining

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the Prelude

_"Niisama! Come outside with me for a little while!"_

_It must have been at least midnight, but Kiri wasn't feeling all that sleepy himself. And Kumo was standing at the window with such a brilliant sparkle in his beautiful jadeine eyes._

_"Okay, okay. But only for a little bit, alright?"_

_Kiri had done this with his brother many times before when they were younger--sneaked out of the window to watch the stars in the middle of the night. In fact, it was on one of their late-night escapades that they had shared their first _real _kiss, when a stammering, fifteen-year-old Kiri had caressed his twelve-year-old brother's cheek, confessed the true nature of his love, and captured those soft pink lips for the first time. It held so many precious memories that even now, four years later, Kiri was still ready to climb outside and perch on the roof._

_With some difficulty, as the two of them were both much taller than before, the pair of them maneuvered out of their room, found tentative handholds in the stone of the wall, and clambered up to the rooftop. For a brief moment, Kiri couldn't keep his eyes off of Kumo's... well... it was just above him and all, and Kumo certainly wasn't helping by just wearing a pair of panties beneath his white swordsman's shirt. But with an effort, he shoved the perverse thoughts aside and sat next to his brother, slinging an affectionate arm around the slim shoulders and pulling Kumo's slender form against his._

_"The sky is so beautiful on nights like this," Kiri said softly, leaning back to stare up into the endless black and blue above him, dotted with the tiny white pinpricks of stars._

_"Yeah, but..." Kumo's voice grew quiet, and Kiri realized that there was a reason his brother had asked him to come out here after so long. "It seems like there are actually a lot less stars up there now than there were before."_

_"What do you mean?" Kiri asked with a slight frown._

_Kumo pointed to a spot in the sky directly above the two of them. "Look... when we were little, we always used to make up stories about these three stars that were in an exactly straight line right there. But look at it now! They'd always be in that exact position at this exact time of night, and..."_

_Kiri's frown deepened. "That's really weird. There aren't any stars there now."_

_"Yeah... and there are so many others like those..." Kumo shivered._

_Kiri knew that it couldn't be that cold--it was only early fall, and though the nights were slightly chilly, with the two of them curled up like this... no, Kumo wasn't suffering from the cold. He was afraid._

_He tightened the grip of his arm around his brother's shoulders. "Kumo-chan, daijobu? You don't look so good."_

_The white-haired swordsman shook his head and tucked himself into the curve of his big brother's lean body. "It scares me sometimes... I wake up at night and look at the stars to try to comfort me, but there are these huge gaps every time... and there are fewer and fewer stars every night... what could take the stars away, Niisama? What could do that?"_

_All Kiri could do was tell the truth. "Kumo-chan, I don't know. But... there's nothing we can really do, is there? Come on... let's go inside. If you're afraid, I don't want you looking at them, okay?"_

_"Unn," was Kumo's response, but Kiri wasn't sure if his brother was really alright or just saying what he thought would deflect his worry._

_Though he said nothing more about the vanishing stars, later that night when the two of them were twined tightly together beneath their heavy comforter, Kiri could feel Kumo's body shaking._

---

"What's the matter?"

Kiri blinked and realized that Fabula was giving him one of her worried sidelong looks. "Uh... what do you mean?"

Her concerned stare became disapproving. "You've been completely spacing out for a while now."

"I was just thinking. ...You sound like my mother."

She smiled wryly. "Maybe you need mothering. If you ever want to talk, you know that Lisa and I will listen to whatever you have to say."

Kiri scowled. "Speak of the pot calling the kettle black. I don't think you're really in a position to say stuff like that, the way you keep hiding secrets of your own."

"I already told you not to make such a big deal out of it," Fabula replied in a reasonable tone. "I've got everything under control. I don't want you to worry about me anymore, okay? Besides, we're almost there."

They'd been walking for several hours, with only a few minor skirmishes with Heartless and wild beasts to keep them occupied. As far as Kiri knew (which wasn't much), the Sephiras' fief was only about five miles away. Ish. They were going on Lisa's information alone now, and Kiri got the feeling that she didn't exactly know her way either.

Because he didn't exactly want to pass the next few hours in silence, Kiri spoke up again. "Hey, Lisa. You're from around here--what were these Sephira people like?"

The black-haired woman smiled a little. "I only really met them once. Gaius Sephira, the man who ruled over these lands, is a general in King Ansem's army. He's a tall, muscular, somewhat military-minded man; he's very honorable, but not stiff or anything. He's very loyal to the king and the country, as you might expect. He had a lot of interesting war stories to tell, from battles against the brigands who tried to attack Port Bellebane five years ago. The countess, Ivy Sephira, is his wife. I don't know her as well, but... she's an herbalist who specializes in breeding her own plants and making potions, and she has plant magic, too. She tends to keep more to herself, which is why I'm not on familiar terms with her... but she and Gaius are very much in love. I hope that they and their people are alright..."

Lisa continued to describe the Sephiras as she, Kiri, and Fabula drew closer to the fiefdom itself. After about another half an hour, Kiri could pick out its silhouette on the horizon. It was a brick-walled keep that looked as though it enclosed a small town as well as the large mansion at its center. Of course, though the surrounding lands belonged to the fief--this Gaius person or whoever--the town at the center was considered the _true _fiefdom.

This bizarre division of lands, the surface conception of land _belonging _to anyone, made Kiri ache for his homeland, where the clouds and skies were the possessions of everyone and no one. His parents, Kageshi and Madori, had explained the strange ways of the ground-dwellers to him, and it made as little sense now as it had then.

_Kumo... wish you were here right now to laugh with me about how weird these surface people are. I'm stuck with two of them, so I can't really say anything... how long will it be before I can find your heart? Will I even be able to in time...?_

---

"I hope that Koryu Gaddys bastard really is here," Kiri grumbled as the three of them stepped into the mansion's courtyard. "I really wanna give him a piece of my mind."

"Tell me about it," Fabula said sympathetically. "If he is, hopefully we can find out why he's doing all these crazy things... why he needed Kumo's heart in the first place..."

Lisa just nodded, silent.

When they'd reached the town, it had been completely abandoned. Not a single human had even so much as wandered the streets; many of the houses were in disrepair, and large plants and tangles of roots had grown over walls and doors, ensnaring the remains of civilization in vines. It had been obvious that Lisa'd hoped for other survivors to be found, like the Church of Angelus or even Forlorn Hope.

But apparently, Sephira had been _completely _decimated by the Heartless.

There was simply no one left alive.

Even the steps of Kiri's cloth shoes echoed on the moss-infested cobble leading to the mansion stairs. It was simply so empty and alone... just like the dark and frozen sky, without even Heartless to keep them company...

Letting his thoughts trail off into depression, Kiri froze.

_Something had creaked._

"Stay still and listen," Kiri hissed. Lisa flinched, while Fabula casually let her hands float to her chakrams, her hazy blue-green eyes suddenly sharp and wary.

There was another creak; Kiri slowly and coolly drew his Maken, letting the silver moonlight glint off its crimson blade.

And a bolt of darkness flew towards them from inside the forsaken building.

Kiri slashed; the Heartless squealed and pooled into blackish goo.

And a mass of twisting, writhing tentacles burst after it.

"What the hell!" Kiri yelled, jumping back; the tentacle things followed him. Fabula shouted something, and her chakrams sliced through the oncoming wave.

Several pale brownish-gray things, like fat, tapered fingers, dropped to the cobbles.

"They're roots," Fabula said, still breathing unevenly. "Plant roots."

"What's going--?" Lisa began, but shrieked as the moss beneath them exploded into furious growth, the tiny shoots of green extending to mad lengths.

With a cry of melded anger and horror, Kiri instinctively set the air directly surrounding his sword ablaze, swinging it in a wild arc and setting the crazed plants ablaze. The emerald tendrils blackened, curled, and shriveled, falling away from the three of them in cinders.

"Don't like that, huh?" Kiri panted, looking around warily and wondering where on earth the next attack was going to come from. He hadn't activated the Flare Sword properly, but that was just as well. Under the proper conditions, the impact of a burning Maken against an opposing force could cause immense explosions, and Kiri didn't want plants blowing up in his face.

"At least we know we're going the right way," Lisa ventured timidly, prodding a dead root with the base of her staff.

"Yeah, let's get going before something _else _decides we're nice targets just standing around here," Fabula proclaimed, striding confidently into the mansion.

Kiri groaned. "I _hate _it when she does that... who's the leader here, anyway?"

But he and Lisa had no choice to follow her. She was right.

"Dammit..."

If possible, the mansion itself was creepier than the abandoned town. Kiri could tell that it had once been a grand place; its brilliant marble façades told him that much. However, much of the building was overgrown with plant life--immense, sickly greenish roots had cracked the stone, and creepers formed green curtains over the walls. The foundations themselves had cracked and shattered; through a small crevasse, one brave little dandelion poked its sunny bloom into the cold, dead place.

As Fabula was standing still in the area, Kiri knelt down beside the tiny flower after catching up to her and gave the fuzzy head a stroke. He could sympathize with the little thing... he, too, felt as though he was intruding on something sacred here. And yet, he could also see the poetic justice in the earth's rising to reclaim what rightfully belonged to it.

Removing his hand, Kiri realized that his fingertip was tinged slightly golden with dandelion pollen. Standing, he smiled sadly. Once, one of the wandering traders had come through their city, bearing, among the goods that sustained their people, several flowers. Kumo had been entranced with them, especially the dandelions, lilies, and roses.

_"Niisama, Niisama! You know what? Ame-chan says that if a dandelion rubs off on you, you're in love!"_

And to prove the old myth, Kumo had taken one of the treasured flowers and rubbed the bloom against his cheek, holding it to his chest so that the head brushed the tip of his chin. It had left a bright yellow smudge on his face. Kiri had pointed it out, but Kumo had just giggled and told him...

_"Silly. That's because I'm in love with you!"_

With a sad smile, Kiri shook his thoughts out of the past. Hopefully, Koryu Gaddys would be here. And hopefully... Kumo's heart would now be within reach.

"Kiri-san, Fabula-san..." Lisa shook her head. "There's, there's something _wrong _here. These plants all feel _wrong. _Something about them is different from ordinary plants. The spirit of life in them doesn't _feel _at all like a plant's spirit should..."

"There is something strange about this place," Fabula mused. "Besides the fact that it's positively crawling with Heartless."

"Let's just find Gaddys and get the hell out of here as soon as we can," Kiri said flatly. "I don't like it here. You two are right, there's something--"

But Lisa shrieked, cutting him off, and dashed into the hall that lay ahead of them.

Kiri and Fabula exchanged looks and followed her.

This seemed to be the mansion's main chamber; marbled tiles lay beneath their feet in chess-style black and white, unruly potted plants stood in each corner, and at the end of the wide hall stood two well-furnished, comfortable-looking chairs. The one on the left was empty, but the one on the right...

There was a vaguely human figure sitting in it.

_Vaguely _was the only word for it, as the human was so obscured by the tangle of plants that covered it that it was barely recognizable. One of the huge roots, growing from behind the chair, grew over the person's shoulder, covering both upper arms and the torso in heavy growth. Smaller roots and vines held the wrists and ankles to the chair, and tiny, delicate threads of ivy covered the rest of the body. Some flowering vine had even crawled across the face--covering part of the hair and both eyes was a lurid, pink-and-violet blossom, looking for all the world like some insolent, exotic hibiscus bloom.

As Lisa sobbed through gasps of hysteria muffled by her fists, Fabula and Kiri simply stared, immobilized by shock and horror.

"Oh, _God," _Fabula breathed, shaking her head, wearing the same wide-eyed expression Kiri had seen on her face after she'd almost stepped off the walkway in the Tower of the Heavens.

Kiri, on the other hand, strode forward purposely and put a finger on the person--woman--'s throat. "There's a pulse, and she's definitely breathing," he reported, bewildered. "But why would the Heartless and Gaddys leave _her, _out of everyone in this town, alive?"

"Do--do you know who that is?" Lisa managed through dry sobs, her voice as muffled as her tears by the fists she'd drawn up to her face. _"That's the countess... Ivy Sephira!"_

Fabula let out a slow hiss of breath. "So now we have an answer," she said softly, in a shaking, dangerous voice, "as to why the plants of this area are behaving strangely. _They're feeding off Ivy's plant magic, which is out of control because she's comatose. _This whole building is a death trap, a setup! Koryu Gaddys tricked us into coming here--he's the one who's controlling the output of Ivy's magic. If he so much as _twitches _on the trigger, we're dead."

"Very clever," a sardonic voice from behind the three of them said. Kiri and the others whirled--it was Gaddys. "So you've figured it out at last. It's very useful for getting rid of nosy, annoying idiots like you."

"You _bastard," _Kiri said in a low, feral snarl. "Tell me what you did with my little brother's heart! NOW! I saw you take it--and you're not getting away until I have it back!"

Gaddys ignored him completely. "Now, should I pull that trigger your lovely lady friend so kindly mentioned for me, or should I watch you _suffer _a little first? ...After all, it's not like your hearts are anything out of the ordinary. Only the purest hearts could belong to the ones we're looking for..."

Before Kiri could demand to know more about the things he'd referenced, Gaddys snapped his fingers. From the shadows of the hall, small black bodies and bright yellow eyes began to close in on Kiri, Fabula, and Lisa in a swarming mass. "...So it's really no waste to me, no matter which way you die."

Lisa let out a muted whimper of fear, but clutched her staff tightly. Kiri, gripping the hilt of his Maken, heard Fabula shift and curse behind him.

"Lisa-kun. Use your light spells to destroy these Heartless while you can. When they wear off, rest a few moments before you cast more. And Kronos... cover me."

Kiri didn't wait for them to acknowledge his commands, but simply lunged forwards in a whirl of red righteous hatred.

Fabula yelled something; Kiri didn't know what, but a large hemisphere of crackling energy exploded before him, clearing his path of Heartless. As soon as it disappeared, Kiri was dashing forwards again, running at Gaddys with a mad glint in his crimson eyes.

Somewhere in the background, Lisa squeaked "Dia", and a bright flash of light made the masses of Heartless squeal in pain.

With a slight smile, Kiri let his outer concerns fade away. All he had to worry about now was fighting Gaddys.

For such a huge hulking bastard, Gaddys was surprisingly fast. He dodged Kiri's initial sword strikes with ease, countering them with blows from those immense, ham-size fists. Kiri ducked and rolled with the preconception of where the attacks would come from. His battle instincts were good--once he'd finished his initial training before moving on to self-study, neither his swordmistress nor Kumo, both of whom were excellent fighters, had been able to lay so much as a finger on him if he truly concentrated on everything and nothing at once--just as the way of the Tao dictated. Not for nothing was Kiri known among his enemies as the "Demon Taoist".

But it soon became apparent that quick feet and natural talent weren't going to be enough to defeat this hardass of a man. Gaddys had them, too--Kiri knew because the eighteenth blow, while it missed his skull, clipped his cheek; instantly, he felt a clean, perfect cut open along the length of his cheekbone, and blood began to cascade down his skin. With a muttered "damn", Kiri dove for the opening he'd acquired, but was only able to slash Gaddys' arm, which the man brought up to block.

Springing back, Kiri panted lightly, glaring at Gaddys, and flipped the Maken in his hand. Instantly, the baton-like longsword became a heavy broadsword. Now, not only was Kiri's reach substantially longer, but he could also use the Maken to block Gaddys' attacks. Nothing but an attack from something more powerful than the swordsman's own will could break it; the Maken was a wonderful shield.

"I asked you where my brother's heart is," he growled, lunging again.

"As if I would tell you," Koryu Gaddys said easily, swinging and missing, with an annoying grin. "The key to the door is far, far too important to sacrifice because of silly demands--"

"Silly, my ass!" Kiri roared, losing his temper. "Kumo--is--my--BROTHER!"

At the exact moment the enraged swordsman lunged, Koryu Gaddys' right shoulder suddenly sprouted a black crossbow bolt.

The fighter turned to look at it, an expression of almost stupid surprise on his Western face.

And Kiri scored home, plunging the red Maken deep into Gaddys' barrel chest, wrenching the blade in a bloody circle to obliterate his heart and lungs.

Koryu Gaddys made a strangled noise, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and dropped like a solid ton of granite.

Lisa, stopping dead in her attempts to cast another spell, went wide-eyed in shock. "Ai! Yu!"

And a chocobo, laden with two preteen riders, charged through the Heartless into the room, followed by two human figures in black.

The girl and boy who'd been riding the chocobo leaped out of the saddle and ran straight to Lisa, who threw her arms around them both, oblivious to the few Heartless who remained. "Lisa! We looked _everywhere _for you, Kaze-jisan had almost given up, and then we came in here and heard your voice and-- and-- we're _so _glad you're still alive!"

"Don't let your guard down, you idiots!" Fabula shouted.

And that was all the warning they had before every plant in the room exploded, expanding to immense size, as though they had decided to do thirty years' worth of growing in five seconds.

With Koryu Gaddys dead, all control over Ivy Sephira's unruly plant magic had vanished, and it was pouring itself out all at once. Perhaps Gaddys himself had died, but it seemed as though his "death trap" was going to succeed after all.

The girl who'd arrived with the children drew twin revolvers, quickly jammed a series of clear bullets filled with something red into the bullet slots, and started firing madly. Bursts of flame erupted from her gun muzzles with every shot, setting plants that would've throttled the little party ablaze.

Taking his cue from her, Kiri promptly forgot the months of lessons it had taken him to master the Flare Sword technique, extended a hand, gathered energy at his fingertips, and yelled _"Fira!" _at the top of his lungs. A wide wave of flame burned the plants immediately in front of him; Kiri took up his Maken again and hacked madly on the roots and vines he hadn't charred.

"It's no good, there's just too many of them!" Fabula yelled, having about as much luck as Kiri and the girl with her chakrams. Lisa had gathered the children and the chocobo to her at their center to keep them away from the tangling vines, but she didn't seem to be succeeding either.

The man swathed in black, who had up till then remained stationary, cursed and held out his right arm, which he'd kept beneath his cloak until that moment. It was covered in a dull golden cylinder from the elbow down; Kiri could see that streaks of Heartless violet-black traced over the metal.

The girl, looking over her shoulder, shook her head fiercely. "Kaze-niisan, _no! _You haven't recovered enough--"

But her brother Kaze ignored her, interrupting her in a loud, commanding voice: "SOIL IS MY POWER!"

From out of nowhere, a small drill appeared on the side of the cylinder, with black blades in a cross at its base. Blades and drill began to spin, and the cylinder burst open. For a split second, Kiri thought he saw the grayish-white of bone, but the next, he thought he must've been mistaken, because it was actually the rest of Kaze's arm. Within about half a minute, the gold of the cylinder had reconfigured from flashes around the arm to first a tourniquet, then a spherical chamber, then the grip and barrels of an immense golden gun that was actually attached via thin gold tubes to Kaze's wrist.

Breathing roughly, Kaze dug three bullets out of small pouches on his belt, holding them up and jamming them into the gun one by one: "The origin of all things, Mother Black--A heat to scorch the world, Fire Red--The critical point of everything, Burning Gold--"

A fierce expression on his face, Kaze swung the huge gun up to point at the ceiling, his forefinger resting on the trigger. "BURN! I summon you--_Shokanju Phoenix!"_

There was an immense explosion; for a few seconds, Kiri was deafened and blinded. When he could see and hear again, everything was burning, and Kaze was sprawled on his knees on the ground, the gun gone and the cylinder back in place. He was clutching at his right arm, his left hand clawlike, deep agony on his suddenly too-pale face.

A summoner. Kaze was a summoner.

But he was a summoner like none Kiri had ever seen--ground-dwelling summoners like Yuna usually worked with staves or wands to call upon elemental creatures, and Mystarians used swords and Mist to call the Ittouju. Summoning with a _gun?_

It was as unheard of as the rumored practices of Windaria...

A crackle alerted Kiri to a disturbing sag in the ceiling above them, and he snapped back to his senses. "Awww, _shit! _Everybody, we've got to get out of here _now, _before the mansion collapses on us!"

Kaze's sister, kneeling at his side, glared at him. "You moron! Can't you see that my brother can't possibly move!"

Kiri's temper flared again, but still more crackling quelled it. "Look, just think of _something, _okay? If we stay here, we'll all die--"

Letting out a slow breath, Lisa raised her hands to the sky, her palms open and flat. There was a slight ripple in the air, and Kiri saw the flicker of a force field form over them, just as the ceiling gave. The pieces of wood and stone bounced harmlessly off the dome; Lisa put her hands down and clasped them in traditional martial-arts position, drawing and releasing another slow breath.

Kiri broke the silence with an impressed whistle. "Ooo. Not bad."

"Feh." Everyone whirled, looking for the source of the strange voice. "Well, Gaddys always _was _weak. It will be far easier to accomplish our tasks without him weighing us down."

"Of course, _dar_ling." This voice was more of a purr than actual speech, and obviously belonged to a woman. "As long as we still have the key, though, there's nothing they can do..."

For a brief moment, Kiri was able to see two figures standing at a distance through the flames, but the wind picked up, the fire flared, and the next chance Kiri had to look, they were gone.

(TBC)


	9. Interlude: Dearly Beloved

Kokoro no Hanashi

INTERLUDE

:Naze Nani:

**Multiple worlds clarification: **Actually, in the last NN, I lied. There are multiple worlds, but we just won't be _going _to them. More on that later... _much _later! Muwahahaha.

**Characterization: **I've heard a few comments from readers saying that the characters' personalities have changed somewhat. Those things are just due to the background of the plot... I'll explain that now:

**Re: Kumo's personality:** KnH's Kumo is a far, _far _more innocent Kumo than the one FF:U stars. Remember, as far as KnH goes, Kumo never saw his home destroyed or his brother killed... and never had to stick it out at Gaudium for several months while trying to gather information. This is the real Kumo beneath all the falsehoods. Much of Kumo-chan's reticence during FF:U is largely due to the fact that he's stuck staying with people who he really, _really _hates; think about it... you wouldn't really talk a lot either if you had to live with your worst enemies, would you? Also, during FF:U, Kumo went through a LOT of horrible stuff. He was helpless to stop his world's destruction, joined Kaze on a quest for revenge, sacrificed himself, was rezzed, got stuck at Gaudium, had to fight his best friend, was forced into killing his brother, sacrificed himself _again... _you see my point. In KnH, Kumo never had to do any of that. Because of the continued presence of Kiri and their parents, he has largely remained the child he was in FF:U until his world was threatened by Chaos. Don't worry--when Kumo reemerges in the story, he'll be more mature than he was previously.

**Re: Fabula: **People who never looked past Fabula's narrator position in FF:U were probably shocked by her behavior so far in KnH. But not so long ago, I stumbled upon the simple truth behind Fabula (there's one for all six of the main characters; we'll get to theirs some other day), which is: SHE HATES HER JOB. I deduced this from her behavior in Episode 14. Although she's a Guide and not really _supposed _to help Lisa and the midgets, she did anyway because one major loophole would help her get away with it. So when her boss collared her later, she could say something like this:

Cruxis (Fabula's superior... in KnH, anyway): What was THAT? What WAS that! You know interference is forbidden!

Fabula: (shifty eyes) I didn't _interfere _at all... I dunno what you're talking about.

Cruxis: Um, don't you call "snatching Lisa, Ai, and Yu from the jaws of Omega" interfering in mortal affairs?

Fabula: Nope!

Cruxis: (sweatdrop) It is.

Fabula: No, it's not. (in a very matter-of-fact tone) I'm a _Guide. _And since I'm a _Guide, _I'm supposed to _guide _people, correct? Cause all I did was _guide _them out of the dimensional tunnel...

Cruxis: (sigh) You are _hopeless. _But you really can't be punished for guiding people... so... urg...

Okay, maybe I paraphrased a little, but you get the point, right?

I usually have at least two or three empowered female characters, being a feminist myself. Since Kiri is so brash and impulsive, I needed a woman with common sense to be his partner in the initial party. And besides, I think Fabula rocks--she doesn't get anywhere near enough credit or enough screen time. (XD) If she seems a little bit OOC to you, consider the fact that she's been sitting and watching the people she cares about fight and die for a very, VERY long time. Kumo was just the straw that broke the camel's back, so Fabula's being a little bit more reckless than she's normally portrayed. And as to the issue of her extraordinary patience... you've only ever seen her get irritated before (yes, even in Part 1 where she chewed out Kiri for wanting to run off without a plan!). You'll see Fabula get _really _angry sometime soon, and it will scare the living shit out of you. Muwahahaha.

**-Shipping: **Okay, it's starting to get _really _bad that we don't have better names for pairings than KxK in story summaries. In some other story or something, that might be okay, but this is FF:U, and we've got three characters whose names start with K, so it's pretty troublesome! A better way to list pairings is to find some kind of word that describes the couple, then add "-shipping" to it. (ex. "Mudshipping": Isaac/Mia from Golden Sun). Here's a list of a few pairings and their "-shipping" names:

**Cloudshipping- **Kiri/Kumo

**Skyshipping- **Kaze/Kumo

**Heartshipping-** Kaze/Lisa

**Crystalshipping-** Clear/Ai

**Moonshipping- **Kaze/Lou

**Frogshipping- **Cid/Miles

You get the idea! Pass 'em around, maybe we'll have a little less of the confusing "KxK" that could be anything from Kaze and Kumo to Kaze and Kiri. (sweatdrop)

**Fungus and Herba: **You may not have noticed it, but these two actually got a cameo already in KnH! Kudos to readers who figured out where they are!

**Members of Forlorn Hope: **The fifteen survivors of the Isu massacre, all taken from media other than FF:U, are Sora, Riku, and Kairi (Kingdom Hearts), Tidus and Yuna (FFX/FFX-2), Presea Combatir (Tales of Symphonia), Sephiroth and Cloud (FFVII/Kingdom Hearts), Squall Lionheart (FFVIII/Kingdom Hearts), Minwu (FFII), Terra (FFVI--released in America as FFIII), Mu la Flaga and Rau le Creuset (Gundam Seed), Felix Gandillon (Golden Sun/Golden Sun: The Lost Age), and Motoko Kusanagi (Ghost in the Shell). Gawd, I am such a fangirl. I don't own them, I just obsess over them.

**Lunar characters: **Yes, the characters who populated the Church of Angelus are from the Lunar series. Yet more homages to my favorite fandoms. You'll be seeing more Tales, Golden Sun, and Gundam Seed references in the future, as well as cameos from Legend of Legaia, FFTA, and DNAngel characters. Once again, me no owny.

**Sword Dragon: **I checked, and it's Ittouju, not Ittenju. If there's anything in KnH left that says "Ittenju", I apologize. I'm not perfect and I can't fix everything. I don't even have the Internet at my own house, okay?

**Artbook: **I just got the FF:U artbook, entitled Kaze to Kumo no Ita Sekai. Go me. I can't read a word of the Japanese except for a couple of names, but who cares. I'm going to end up learning Japanese one of these days... hopefully... (Yes, I _am _bragging. It was $34.50 plus tax, shipping, and handling, and it was worth every cent. There's omake in that book that I'd never even _seen _before, and I collect FF:U omake piccies. If you get the chance, buy it. It's so awesome.)

**Nallorn and Gaedrian:** As you may have noticed, these two keep coming up in Kiri's speech. No, I didn't make them up. Nallorn and Gaedrian are actually characters from a rather obscure short story called _The Graceless Child, _and since they have an uncanny resemblance to Kaze, I decided to kidnap them for part of Mystarian and Windarian lore.

Basically, Nallorn and Gaedrian are twin brothers, and as far as KnH (and my other fanfics) goes, they're the patron spirits of Mystaria. They're both sleep spirits--Gaedrian, the elder, is King of Dreams, and Nallorn, the younger, is the Lord of Nightmares. _Graceless Child _is actually about their battles with each other, but for KnH purposes, they stand united to guard their chosen people. The only ways to tell them apart (physically) are their eye colors and voices. They're both tall, slim men with long white hair, with blue tattoos much like the protective seals of Mystaria decorating their bodies. In some future NN, I'll include their KnH backstory. It's not exactly fair to just dangle them over readers' noses with Kiri bringing them up every now and then.

**Sequel: **If you saw the notice in my profile, yes, you heard right, I'm currently sketching out the plans for a sequel to Kokoro no Hanashi. Some of the details will depend on the plotline of the soon-to-be-released Kingdom Hearts 2 (Auron's gonna be in it! Yayness!), but I've already got some of the outlines figured, and my diehard fans will love it. Muwahaha. The newly confirmed sequel title is **Hikari no Hanashi**. Remember that.

However, in order to continue planning the sequel, there is some VITAL information that I need. There are two characters from the sequel to FF:U, known as FF:U After Spiral or Huta no Kizuna, who I am planning on including--the ofuda (spell card)-using agent who sent Lisa to Wonderland, Dolwa, and their purple-haired friend Touya. BUT, what I just told you is basically all I know about them. Anyone with information about them (YERSI FANEL, THIS MEANS **_YOU_**) needs to supply it in a review, either for this chapter or a future one. I have been all over the Internet looking for information on them, and I can't even find a version of the FF:U After artbook (which I am _hoping _has information on them) for sale (although I will succeed or die trying). So I need people's help... BADLY!

Readers with information (ONCE AGAIN, I AM TALKING TO **_YOU_**, YERSI FANEL) about them should tell me their 1.) roles in the story, 2.) details pertaining to #1, and 3.) personalities. I really only know that Touya has a mad crush on Ai and she thinks he's annoying. I've only been able to find snippets of info about them on a Wikipedia entry. (sweatrdrop)

Since you now know that the second half of this story is DEPENDING ON YOU (yes, KnH is only the first half), hopefully you'll want to help me a little. This is really, really, REALLY important!

Anyway. Kansha shimasu, and good luck.

**Hmm... maybe I should give you reader people some background on Kiri and Kumo's relationship after all. Here's a little chibific about some of their troubles when they decided to come out of the closet...**

---

Dearly Beloved

_"In my every memory, we're always together. And no matter when I look back, you're by my side..."_

---

It was late autumn, and Kiri was starting to think it was already a little cold for star-watching. Sitting on the stone of the roof, he had kept on all of his clothes, and had wrapped the warmth of his cloak around him. It was dark, but he could still see that every time he exhaled, the air around his face hazed... even when he wasn't breathing Mist.

Of course, it was really Kumo, muffled just as tightly in layers of white, that Kiri was worried about. He'd grown stronger over the years and wasn't quite as frail anymore, but in this chill weather, he could easily get sick. Although he suffered, as always, without complaint, Kiri could see Kumo shivering. Poor little thing. Once again, Kiri had just gone through a growth spurt, so he topped his brother's height by almost an entire foot; the daggerlike spikes on his forehead were darker and heavier than ever. Even though they were only three years apart, at the moment, Kumo looked even younger and more fragile than he was.

"Kumo-chan." Large, liquid jadeine eyes blinked and looked up. Kiri edged towards his little brother and put his arms around Kumo's smaller body, holding him tightly. "We have to decide what we're going to do, tonight."

"Unn," Kumo replied, and nodded, snuggling back against his brother's chest.

Kiri had recently turned sixteen, which meant that now he was of age to be life-bonded. His parents had started looking more critically at his relationships with his friends, and both he and Kumo knew that they were expecting him to declare himself to one of them soon. He'd overheard them talking to his friends' parents recently, speculating over who Kiri would choose.

Their circle of friends contained only three others--Kuroi Hoshi, a rather quiet boy Kiri's age who had been maimed by monsters as a child; Haiiro Arashi, a fifteen-year-old girl who, Kiri knew, was planning to exchange vows with Hoshi any day now; and Aoi Ame, a little twelve-year-old girl who, besides Kiri, was Kumo's dearest friend. General assumption was that Kiri would be approaching Hoshi or Arashi, and that Kumo would end up with Ame; Kiri had discovered that his parents thought the same.

But no one, not even those friends, knew the truth of it.

Kiri had long since realized that his affection for Kumo could no longer be defined as "brotherly". No one else had ever given him that warm, fluttery feeling or that sharp ache down the center of his chest... or, to be brutally honest, the suddenly racing pulse that throbbed in embarrassing places. It had only been a year since Kiri had confessed, on this very same rooftop, to Kumo the truth and exchanged with him what he had thought would be their first and last kiss.

He hadn't expected that little Kumo felt exactly the same way.

For a year now, they had only dared to show their true feelings at night, stealing kisses in bed or when they perched on the roof to watch the stars before going to sleep. It had given Kiri a giddy thrill the entire time--the risk, the intimacy, the sheer softness of Kumo's lips... their secret relationship had been a treasure.

But now, with the city expecting him to declare his love for a friend and his parents ready to solidify life-bonding arrangements, Kiri had stopped being happy that his and Kumo's love was clandestine and started feeling trapped. Life-bonds were forever, and there was only one person in all of Mystaria that Kiri could possibly imagine being bonded to.

But to do that, he would have to announce openly, or at least to his parents, that he and Kumo were romantically involved, and had been so for a year.

"We have to tell them," Kumo said softly. "It's the only way."

"I know," Kiri replied bitterly. "I just keep hoping there'll be some easier way out."

Stretching up, Kumo gently kissed his brother's cheek. "It'll be alright. Even though what we have is unusual, it's happened before, right? And it's been accepted. We'll be fine."

"Not if our parents forbid it, we won't be," was Kiri's response. "How am I supposed to explain to them how I feel about you? That I want to hold you and protect you forever? That when I kiss you, it just makes me want more?" He shook his head. "No. I can't exactly see them approving of one of their sons looking at the other the way I look at you..."

"It'll be alright," Kumo insisted. "I'll be with you."

At that, Kiri had to smile.

---

It was obvious enough to Kiri's parents that something was wrong the next morning, during their daily ritual of meditation.

"Akai-kun, you're all over the place," his mother Madori said with a frown. "What's wrong with you today? Your control hasn't been _this _poor for almost ten years."

Kiri was silent, his pulse pounding in his throat. He had no idea what to do. Should he tell? Should he say it was nothing, and try harder to concentrate?

Little Kumo, serene as ever, scooted over to snuggle into his brother's side, tucking his face against Kiri's throat and clasping his arm and shoulder.

"Akai-kun, Shiroi-chan, tell us," Kageshi, their father, urged softly. It was from him that Kumo had inherited such early dignity and poise. "If there is no understanding between us, there can be no harmony in life. If you need to speak, we will listen."

Taking a deep breath, Kiri stood, staring intently at the floor. On his first two attempts, his voice didn't seem to be working properly, but on his third, he managed to get out, "I've got something to say."

As Kumo and their parents looked on, he continued awkwardly. "It's... not easy for me to tell, and I don't think it'll be easy for you to hear, either. But if I don't..." He let his voice trail off, and shook his head. "Somebody's gonna make a big mistake. So... listen. Please.

"I... know who my destined partner is, the one with whom I'll share a life-bond. The person I can't live without, who I love, who also loves me." Kiri took another deep breath. "I know you've been thinking I'll say it's Hoshi or Arashi, or even Ame. But it's not."

Sensing his brother's distress, Kumo stood up beside him and clasped his hand, radiating quiet strength, his youthful jadeine eyes bottomless wells of calm trust.

"It's..."

Kumo squeezed his hand.

"My..."

He couldn't betray that innocent trust, couldn't crush that pure, fragile spirit. Taking another deep breath, Kiri blurted it out.

"My soul mate stands beside me. My brother, Shiroi Kumo, named Makenshi for his blossoming skill at swordsmanship. That's the truth."

---

It could've gone better, Kiri reflected, but on the whole, things could've been _way _worse.

After staring shocked for a few moments, his mother had well nigh exploded in outrage. She could not accept this, she had shouted; she _wouldn't. _Kiri was her son and he was going to settle down with some nice, _unrelated, _boy or girl of his own age. Anyone but Kumo, who was still a baby.

More terrible still than Madori's reaction had been Kumo's. Faced with the disgust and rejection of his own mother, he had clutched Kiri's side and begun silently to cry. Pained to see his mother's actions as he was, Kiri had held Kumo tightly, fiercely, comforting him while at the same time daring his parents to force them apart.

That was when Kageshi, who had remained silent the entire time, had told Madori frankly to calm down, spoken to her in a hushed voice, and coaxed her into another room. He sat with his sons now, waiting with Kiri as Kumo's body heaved in a paroxysm of silent sobs, his face buried in his brother's shoulder.

"Why aren't you saying those things, too?" Kiri asked bitterly, throwing his usual politeness when speaking to his parents to the winds. "I know you agree with her."

Kageshi simply shook his head mildly, a slight smile on his face. "I did feel that way... at first. But I had time to get over my own unpleasant surprise quite some time ago... when I nearly walked in on you two kissing in the hall."

Kiri flinched; he'd thought he and Kumo had been safe just that once.

"I wanted to rage and shout and force you apart then, as well; but I had some time to think about it and realized that this was bound to happen sooner or later. You've always been a little more affectionate than most siblings. Instead of seemingly hating each other, like most pairs of brothers, you're visibly in love. I started wondering how I hadn't seen it before.

"You _aren't _right for anyone else... that's the problem. Kiri, if you were forced into a life-bond with another person, you'd live miserably... if you and Shiroi-chan were separated by force, the pain would certainly cost your brother his health and possibly even his life, in the long run. The only possible outcome that would be beneficial to you... would be to allow you to proceed."

At the shock of those words, all Kiri could do was stare. He'd expected _anything _but this. Open acceptance, allowance... the surprise had even made Kumo stop crying; he was peeking from the shelter of Kiri's shoulder at his father out of wounded eyes.

Kageshi gave another slight smile, reached forward, and ruffled Kiri's hair. Normally, the redhead would act offended by the affectionate, paternal gesture, but he didn't bother to keep up pretenses. "It may not be the path I would've chosen for you, but it's the path the two of you have chosen. Don't worry about your mother. She'll come around eventually, and as long as one of us agrees with you, you'll be able to follow through with your word." Clearing his throat, the old swordsman laid a hand on each of his sons' heads. "By my ancestral rights as your father, and by the Way that guides us all, I proclaim your promise honored. When Sh--Kumo Makenshi is of age, your life-bond will commence." Kiri's appreciation soared at the omission of Kumo's pet name; to call him that now, at the moment that acknowledged his rapidly approaching adulthood, would've been a serious insult. Letting the silence linger for a moment, Kageshi removed his hands from the tousled hair of his boys, nodding solemnly. "It's done."

"Dad..." For a moment, Kiri found it hard to speak, but he smiled and nodded, trying to suppress the thickness in his throat. "Thanks."

Kageshi nodded back, then turned to Kumo. "Shiroi, I need to speak to your brother alone for a moment. If you would, please...?"

Kumo nodded, obedient as ever, and padded lightly outside. Father and son watched him trailing off for a few moments, then turned back to each other.

"What is it?" Kiri asked, blinking. Surely everything had been taken care of?

"There's only one more thing I need to address, and I'll try to make it as brief as possible, because I'm not the best at this." Kageshi gave his son one of those parental looks that always manages to make a child sit and listen. "It's about your brother's... what remains of his physical frailty." To Kiri, it looked as though his father was carefully choosing his words. "Kiri, although tradition is somewhat more lax with promised couples, I want you to promise me that the two of you... that Kumo will remain a virgin until your bond is complete," he finished frankly.

Kiri's face flamed. _"Dad! _Kumo just barely hit puberty! He's _way _too young to be doing anything like that--for that matter, I am, too, a little. What do you take me for?"

Kageshi was at once both stern and concerned, and it was the concern that kept Kiri in the room, instead of storming off out of pure embarrassment. "That's a good thing. In fact, it might even be a good idea not to complete the life-bond for another year or so after Kumo comes of age." Correctly interpreting the question on Kiri's face, the dark-haired swordsman shook his head and tried to explain. "I'm sure you remember how very sickly Kumo has always been, since he was a child. Although his health is considerably better now, those long illnesses have left your brother much more fragile than is normal for a child his age. Although he'll probably reach somewhere near your height in adulthood, his body frame will always be leaning towards small and petite."

"Meaning...?" Kiri asked slowly. He wasn't sure he'd like where this was going.

Kageshi sighed. "Anal sex is extremely taxing," he said. Kiri was one of the few who knew that the more embarrassed his father got, the blunter his manner was. And judging by his unemotional tone... "Even more so than vaginal sex, which often causes virgin women to feel pain of some sort. Combining that fact with Kumo's size and frailty... well, there's a high probability that your first time could seriously hurt him, a probability that's higher the younger you two are when it happens. Sex should be about love, not about pain. I doubt you want to see your brother bleeding and agonized in bed with you any more than I do--"

"I thought you didn't want to see us in bed, period," Kiri mumbled, his entire face approaching the color of his hair. Kageshi just went on, as if pretending that he hadn't heard his son's comment.

"--so as far as I'm concerned, the longer you wait, the better. If you want more details, you should go ask Kohaku-kun, the healer. He'll know the physical tolls sex will take better than I do, for obvious reasons; I've never taken a male lover. It's important that you know the facts before you let yourself get aroused with your innocent little brother around."

"Urkk," was Kiri's only comment. He thoroughly wanted to escape this father-son chat, and felt as though he'd agree to anything that would get him out. "I'll ask him, okay? And... I promise I won't do anything with Kumo until he's at least of age. I _do not _want him put through _any _kind of pain."

"Thank you," Kageshi replied, looking thorougly relieved. "I'll take care of your mother... you just see to how Kumo is doing. Please do your best by him."

Through his embarrassment, Kiri was actually touched by the trust in his father's voice. "I will."

And he left to rejoin his brother, the love of his life, his most dearly beloved.

**(A/N: Aoi Ame belongs to fellow authoress Jessica Wolfe. Don't forget about that info on Touya and Dolwa! I'm counting on you!)**

(TBC)


	10. Destiny Intertwining, part 2

Kokoro no Hanashi

see disclaimer in the Prelude

The two parties made camp beneath the shelter of a huge, venerable willow tree slightly beyond Sephira borders. The chocobo was tethered to a stake, pecking at the ground; everyone else was gathered around the fire, speaking quietly to each other.

Yet again, Kiri explained his situation, renewing his vow to recover his brother's heart. Aura stated simply the reasons she and Kaze had become the bodyguards of the twins; Lisa kept silent, as everyone knew why she had left the Hayakawa fiefdom. She had already made the introductions, anyway.

Kiri didn't quite know what to make of Kaze and Aura. Even for a fellow summoner, Kaze just seemed bizarre. Using a _gun _as a tool to summon with was just plain crazy; the black-cloaked man himself was certainly in no condition to make explanations. And Aura just had that strange, somewhat cold arrogance; the way she'd just given Kiri one look of suspicion and dislike...

They also hadn't said where they were from. Kiri had to wonder... it wasn't as if they had a local dialect... but no, it couldn't be. That was just way too improbable.

He'd be nuts to jump to that conclusion, even if Kaze and Aura were a little weird. He probably looked pretty strange to them, too... _Understatement, _his mind commented on its own. _It's not like most dirt-crawlers get to see Mystarians on a regular basis, now is it...?_

The group had fallen silent while Kiri's suspicions had whirled and quelled. Everyone seemed to be lost in his or her thoughts; even the children seemed dispirited.

Kaze shattered the uneasy quiet with five hoarse words: "I'll take the first watch..."

His sister glared at him. "Kaze-niisan, you're _tired, _you need to regain your strength so we can _travel, _and you still haven't recovered from the _last _time you had to summon! If you're gonna take a watch at all--"

Lisa cleared her throat gently. "Actually, it would be better for him to take the first watch; that way, once he's done, he can get a night of unbroken sleep. That's... far better for you than catnapping through the night." Aura turned to glare at her; Lisa raised both hands in a defensive but firm gesture. "As a healer, I can vouch for the truth in my words. Sleep is a period of physical and mental healing, and your brother needs all the healing he can get right now--his condition is still unstable."

"Ahh, she's probably right," Kiri said with a shrug. "I'll take the second shift."

Leaning over from her position beside him, Fabula gently rapped the back of his head--expecting a much heavier blow, Kiri flinched. _"Absolutely not. _You need a full night of sleep! I doubt you've gotten _half _the sleep you've needed over these past weeks. Listen to me for once... you are _tired. _I'm sick of seeing shadows under your eyes. I can understand your worry for your brother, but all the same, the more real, solid sleep you get, the stronger you'll be when we encounter Gaddys' accomplices." Roughly, she tousled his hair, then lightly tossed his bedroll to him. "Go on, get some rest. _I'll _take the second shift."

"I'll go after you, then," Aura said with a shrug. Strangely, she didn't seem to object to Fabula quite as much as she did to Kiri and Lisa. "You, Madoushi--she's right about what she says, you look awful. Listen to some common sense and go to bed." Turning to Lisa, she sniffed derisively. "And Ms. Healers-Know-Best can take the last shift. Keep watch over the titchy ones, too." She shrugged a shoulder in the general direction of Ai and Yu, both asleep between Lisa and Fabula.

"They're not _that _small," Lisa said dubiously.

"Yes they are, just _look _at them... I was never that tiny when I was their age."

Sighing (all he needed was another domineering woman in his life...), Kiri undid his bedroll, stripped off his shirt carelessly, and curled up, closing his eyes. If he bothered to admit it, Fabula was right, he _was _really tired... at least he'd have one night of sleep before he convinced them to drop this nonsense...

---

Looking around, Lisa smiled. It certainly hadn't taken the others long to fall asleep--Kiri was curled into a ball beneath the layer of his bedroll and shirt, the tuft of hair that framed his face tracing an "s" on his bare shoulder. Aura hadn't even bothered to take off her clothes, simply smacking a rolled-up Heartless-colored quilt a few times, then using it as a pillow. After slowly and meticulously twisting her long hair into a braid, Fabula had spread her own borrowed bedroll, laid on it without getting in, and stared at the sky until her eyes had closed of their own volition.

Lisa herself doubted she'd have such ease in dropping off so peacefully. There was still the matter of Kaze on her mind--muffled in his cloak, he was staring forlornly into the fire, his cerulean eyes ancient and sad. Fighting off hesitation, she quietly got up and walked over to his side, kneeling next to him and placing her hand on his shoulder.

Startled out of his reverie, he looked up at her questioningly. Something in Lisa's chest twisted to see that awful defeated look that settled over him, as much a part of him as the ugly scar across his face.

He needed reassuring. Gently, Lisa rubbed his shoulder. "I need to talk to you," she said softly. "Please... tell me how it happened."

Kaze closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. The sound was as lonely and bereft as the wind stirring dead leaves on the floor of an empty forest. "Aura and I... knew that we couldn't make it to the southern towns... that the castle was our only chance, and yet... the Heartless..." His left hand gripped the dull metal cylinder beneath the black of his cloak, his knuckles stark and white. "I was... attacked mid-Summon... nearly lost the Shokanju, and ever since then, there's been something wrong with it.

"Summoning... never cost me like this before... the Magun depends on the mixture of Soil and my own blood, but it's... never _hurt _like this." He turned back to Lisa, eyes despairing. _"What did they do to me?"_

Avoiding the question, Lisa gently tugged back Kaze's cloak to look at the metal. "How long have you had this?" she asked, laying fingertips on the surface. She was surprised--she'd expected the gold to be chilled, but it held the exact warmth of Kaze's skin.

Another long sigh. "Since birth..." He shook his head awkwardly. "I... find it..." He paused, searching for a word. _"Difficult," _he decided at last. "Because this is... my dominant hand..." Another shake of the head, and a grimace. "I was... unable to do the simplest things. Climb a tree. Engage in sports. I... couldn't even write, until the age of eight... I... still have trouble." Another grimace. "But... Aura was always the active one. I didn't mind so much... as long as I had something to read..."

Lisa could hear the bitterness in his voice, and guilt pricked her like a blunt, persistent needle as she realized she would just be giving Kaze another reason to hate his vessel of summoning. "Um... Kaze-kun. I... don't really have an explanation, but... the attack by the Heartless on your way into the fiefdom seems to have affected your... Magun... in a negative way. In other words, it's been corrupted." Lightly tapping one of the shimmering veins of Heartless black-violet, Lisa winced at Kaze's small flinch of pain. "You see these? It's only theory, but I think that every time you summon... this darkness will grow. Until the Magun is consumed entirely."

Kaze stared at her, obviously incredulous but alarmed. Shaking her head, Lisa went on.

"The thing I don't understand is _why. _You should see this kind of corruption in a _heart, _not a weapon. You'd be in _real _danger if this kind of thing had happened to your heart; it's just... I guess the corruption could spread if you use it enough, so be careful."

Kaze's words were so quiet, Lisa almost had to strain to hear them. "The Magun... _is _my heart..."

---

Forcing herself not to yawn, Fabula shook Aura's shoulder to wake her. Usually, a Guide didn't really need sleep--maybe it was just all the running around she'd been doing, but she was _tired. _Besides, sitting in the same camp with so many sleeping people had a sopoforic effect. She wouldn't be sorry to pass the baton.

Aura groaned and opened her eyes. "What, 'sit my turn already?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Fabula replied with a small smile, effectively choking off an impending laugh.

Growling a string of obscenities, the black-clad young woman sat up, scrubbing the back of her hand across her closed eyes irritably. "We better get to some town or something _damn _fast because I am sick and tired of taking the freaking night watch." Whirling, she sent an evil glare in the direction of Lisa and her brother--the healer had fallen asleep with her head on the summoner's shoulder. "And I swear before God, the fallen city, and my own Soil that I am going to _kill _that woman if she gets any more cuddly with Kaze-niisan. My brother doesn't need _groupies _glomming all over him for the rest of this damn trip."

The idea of Lisa being a groupie broke Fabula's control; she attempted to hide her soft laughter behind her hand and failed miserably.

Rotating her shoulder, Aura smiled wryly. "At least there's _one _tolerable person in this sorry lot," she admitted. "Since we're gonna be going west together for now, it's a welcome relief to meet another woman with that rare commodity, common sense."

"It's even better to meet someone with a sense of humor," Fabula pointed out. She'd given up trying not to laugh and was now trying to laugh quietly.

"Yeah, that, too. I mean, seriously, my brother is a stick in the mud, that annoying Pacifist girl is just a royal pain in a tight dress..." Scowling at the healer again, Aura allowed herself a mild pout. "Come to think of it, I bet _she's _the one who stole my earthly share of boobs."

"I'd trade with you, but I don't know how," Fabula said frankly. "Flatter is _better, _trust me. I've known enough grabby boys in my time to see that much." That had been _very _long ago, before her initiation, while she'd still lived in Lufenia; she'd eventually gotten fed up and started hexing every male who looked crosswise at her chest.

"That's what you think," Aura retorted. "Anyway, the little brats are obnoxious, that stupid chocobo even _more _so, and that Madoushi can take his heroic, holier-than-thou attitude and stick it up his--" Instead of finishing her sentence, she gestured violently.

"He's not _that _bad," Fabula said mildly. "Just worried and impatient. The poor kid's half going out of his mind trying to find his brother's heart. The worst thing about him is his lack of sensibility." So saying, she related the way that Kiri had been ready to rush out into a world he knew nothing about without any preparation.

Aura shook her head sagely. "What an idiot. That's why I can't stand men. They're all bossy, stupid, horny, emotionally impaired..."

"Well, his little brother's not that bad. In fact, he's sweet, shy, sensitive, innocent, intelligent... almost as good as a girl," Fabula told her.

One sharp, slanted eyebrow rose incredulously. "Don't tell me you've been cradle robbing?"

At that, Fabula burst out laughing. "Me? Heavens, no! Kumo's not my type, and besides, he and Kiri are due to marry in a few years. They're _very _in love... it's a sign of how serious they are about each other that they've managed to keep their virginity for so long. I, personally, like mine more mature."

Aura was silent for a few moments, and Fabula began to have the slow, creeping sense that she'd said too much. "So..." The other girl's voice was mildly curious, nothing more. "How long have you known?"

Fabula flinched as though she'd been slapped. "I don't know what you mean," she said slowly, the flame already spreading across her face disproving her words.

"Yeah, ya do," Aura scoffed, waving one hand. "Don't lie... I can usually tell about stuff like that, and it's not like I care. There are _way _worse secrets to have."

"What gave me away?"

"It wasn't like any specific thing you said or did," Aura said with a shrug. "I told you--there are certain things about people that I can just see. For example, Pacifist? I'm not certain exactly what she believes in, but whatever it is, she's orthodox about it. Might even be a purist--and I _hate _purists, which is another reason I don't like her. And Madoushi... just looking at him, I can tell. He's about as straight as a squiggle." She shrugged again. "I told you, I don't care. Just look at that blockhead... as many people there are that would tell _you _that you're a perversion, there'd be about three times as many for him. And does he care? Nope. Of course, that just might be his masculine stupidity, but..."

Still slightly in shock, Fabula managed a small laugh.

"Go to bed. Get rest. Make me jealous. You've stayed up for long enough giving me entertainment. ...And don't worry. Even though I don't really think it's something to be ashamed of, I won't tell anybody."

Wordlessly, Fabula obeyed, fixing her braid and settling into a curl on her bedroll. Acceptance... here was something to think about until tomorrow...

---

_Morning._

_Kiri groaned, blinked blearily into wakefulness, and froze._

_He and Kumo were so closely entangled that his slightest movement could wake his brother._

_God, it was distracting--wonderful, but distracting--to wake up like this. Intent on preserving Kumo's innocence as he was, Kiri was still an eighteen-year-old young man, and having the object of all his love and lust curled so closely... Nallorn and Gaedrian, it was all he could handle._

_Kumo's soft chest was pressed against his own, his shoulder slanted forward and his arm tight around his big brother's waist. His breathing, slow and even, and the rise and fall of his ribcage formed a comforting, familiar rhythm. Cradled by the pillow beneath them, Kumo's face was mere inches from Kiri's, the black lashes of his eyes a delicate tracery over his skin. Kiri's hand rested on his brother's hip, which steadily shifted with Kumo's breathing, and their legs were tangled, the soft press of Kumo's smooth skin raising prickles along Kiri's back._

_Wrestling between the need to let Kumo sleep and the need to get out of such an awkward position, Kiri made a swift choice. Leaning forward slightly, he kissed his brother's cheek. "Ne, ne... o-ha-yo, ototo-chan..."_

_Kumo let out a soft moan of protest, snuggling closer, clinging now. It had been bad enough before, but now that their hips were pressed together... Kiri shuddered in suppressed longing. "Oyasumiiiii..."_

_"Um, no. Kumo... Kumo? It's time to get up, you dork. Stop glomming on me and..." Kumo, completely ignoring Kiri's flustered complaints, kept cuddling. "Argh! Get off me or I swear I'll tickle you 'til you fall off the bed!" No response. Gritting his teeth, Kiri set his fingers to his brother's sides. "You have five seconds to knock it off before I begin the torture. Five... four... three... two..."_

_Kumo squealed and let go, scooting back into a sitting position. "You're no fun, Niisama..."_

_"Yeah, and you're hell to live with when we're trying to stay pure for the ceremony. Will you stop attacking me while I'm asleep and defenseless?"_

_Kumo pouted. "It's not _my _fault. I don't have any control over what my body does while I'm asleep..."_

_"Yeah, I bet. Make your body stop attacking me, then." With a low grunt, Kiri rolled over, facing the wall. "If you wanna go back to sleep, go back to sleep, but seriously, don't do that again. I doubt you wanna wake up having sex at your age."_

_There was a short pause, and then:_

_"Kiri-niisama?"_

_Just ignore it, just ignore it, just ignore it..._

_"Niisama?"_

_Do not listen, do not turn around... that's what he wants..._

_"Kiri-niichan?" This time, there were real tears gelling the voice. "Is... is Niisama angry at me...?"_

_It worked every time. Kiri just couldn't sit there when Kumo sounded like he was going to cry. Rolling back over, he reached up and cupped Kumo's cheek with his hand, catching impending tears with a gentle finger. "No, I'm not." He sighed and sat up. "You know I can't stay mad at you." Leaning in, he gently kissed his brother on the lips, then pulled back. "Oh, by the way... happy birthday."_

_Kumo smiled and blinked twice, his eyes still overbright. "You remembered...!"_

_"Yeah, of course I did. That's another reason we've got to get up! Come on, let's go get dressed, our parents and the others are probably waiting for us..."_

_With another smile and a nod, Kumo slid off the edge of the bed, hunting for fresh clothes obediently._

---

"OEI! Wake up, stupid!"

His back a mass of bristles, Kiri yelled and took a swipe at whoever'd just shouted in his ear.

There was a sharp shriek as his wild strike connected, and a thud as the person hit the ground.

Sitting up, Kiri looked around groggily. He had accumulated an audience--Kaze and Lisa, on the other side of the smoking logs that had once stoked the fire, were staring at him, as were Ai and Yu, the former already atop their chocobo and the latter frozen with one foot in a stirrup.

Aura, apparently the mystery shouter, was sprawled a few feet away, sitting in an awkward position with her knees together, her feet splayed wide before her, and her hands splayed even wider behind her as she tried to keep her balance. She was glaring at him, breathing heavily; there was a smudge of dirt on her cheek, apparently where Kiri'd hit her. In short, she looked completely _furious._

"You are _dead, _you goddamn bastard," she growled, launching herself up. Kiri, alarmed, dove for his Maken, which rested at his side, and hastily stood.

The swordsman found himself staring down the six barrels of a heavily customized silver revolver, even as he pressed his blade's edge to Aura's throat. They stood there, giving each other evil looks, until Fabula placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Will you two give it a rest? No fatalities between allies, _especially _in front of the small children. Aura, calm down. It was stupid, yes, and also extremely impolite, but that seems to be reflex for someone who likes to sleep late. Kiri, put the damn sword away! She has every right to be angry at you, even if she's overreacting, too. Apologize, you moron."

"Why do _I _have to apologize to _her?" _Kiri whined, bitten by the unfairness.

"Because you clocked her for trying to wake you up. She always could've decided to leave you... Madoushi, you sleep like a brick. Besides, you just hit a _girl. _Where's your sense of chivalry?"

Kiri grumbled--his so-called "chivalry" tended to end at Kumo--but lowered his Maken anyway. "I'm sorry," he muttered, not meeting Aura's fury-frosted eyes.

She slapped him, then marched back to her brother with her nose in the air.

"What a bitch," Kiri growled, rubbing the angry mark on his cheek.

Fabula shook her head. "She's not really that bad, you know."

"Well, she's acting like a bitch right now."

"Baka." The silver-haired Guide smacked him in the back of the head, then walked off, still shaking her head. "Well, you'd better get your things together. We're leaving in five minutes."

Hissing dark things about women who thought far too highly of themselves, Kiri did, stiff-hackled all the way.

---

"Hey, Lisa?"

The healer hurried forward so that she was in step with the chocobo, then looked up at the twins.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Where are we headed now?" Ai wanted to know. "I'm sick of riding on this stupid bird."

"He's not a stupid bird, and his name's _Chobi," _Yu pointed out from behind her.

"What_ever!"_

"We're on our way to a western town called Lukahn," Lisa replied, taking the twins' childish bickering in stride. "We don't know if there will be any survivors there, either, but we have to keep looking for a safe place to take you. Like your father said, as long as there's someone from your fiefdom who survives the Heartless, your people, whether dead or alive, still have hope."

"Oh..." Yu said softly. Ai crossed her arms and glared at the horizon.

"I _still _don't get that kind of reasoning! I mean, what are we supposed to live for if Dad and everybody else die? It just doesn't make any sense!"

Lisa sighed. "I know it's hard to understand, but to your father, your lives take priority over everything else. If you two manage to stay alive, then to him, his sacrifices mean something. Parents do things like that for their children..."

Ai was still scowling. "Oh, yeah? And what would your experience with _that _be?"

"I..." Lisa began, and fell silent, staring at the ground. She couldn't say it. It still hurt too much.

"Leave her alone, Sis," Yu said quietly. "Can't you see she doesn't want to talk about it?"

"Hmph!"

Although she knew what position Ai and Yu had been put in, Lisa could still see both sides of the issue. She understood what Joseph had done, and yet... her _own _feelings from so long ago were roiling within her. And there wasn't anything she could say to allay them...

"Oei!"

Aura's wary shout made Lisa look back up, a mixture of surprise and trepidation on her face.

"We've got Heartless!"

"Oh _goody," _Kiri commented under his breath, drawing his crimson blade. "Compensation."

Lisa was afraid to ask for what.

Fabula tossed a chakram experimentally into the air and caught it expertly, spinning it on one finger. "Lisa, stay back and protect the children. Kaze, you stay with her to provide long-range support... Ai-chan can help you there, if I'm not mistaken. Madoushi, Aura, and I can easily take care of this."

Aura, casually inserting clear bullets filled with strange bluish sand into the chambers of her revolvers, paused and looked over her shoulder at her brother. "Kaze-niisan, I'd just like you to know that if you try to summon anything in your current state, I will _maim _you."

Kaze winced, then rolled his eyes and pulled a long, rectangular red double-barreled gun from a holster at his hip.

There were only three Heartless this time--one of the human-sized, vaguely bullish creatures Ghaleon had called Invisibles, and two of the malevolent black balls that sprouted seething tentacles at odd angles.

"The ugly one's mine," Kiri announced happily, charging at the creatures.

"Well, _that's _not very specific, is it?" Aura called to him, spinning the barrel of one gun nonchalantly. "They're _all _ugly!"

"Count your blessings that it's only three and not a mob," Fabula told them, shaking her head, as she headed after Kiri.

"Aww, but mobs are _fun!"_

As the three of them headed off, Ai slid off "Chobi's" saddle, retrieved her longbow, and strung it, silent now as she eyed her targets.

Kiri locked blades with the Invisible, a slow and feral grin beginning to spread across his face. _Finally. _He could use a good fight to relieve the morning's tension.

Aura, positioning herself a good ten feet from the spherical Heartless, amused herself by shooting its tentacles whenever they appeared, freezing them with bullet blasts from one gun.

Fabula turned her skirmish with her own opponent into a dance, slashing at it and then leaping lightly out of the way whenever it tried to strike her.

Back with Lisa and her brother, Ai put an arrow to her string, squeezing her left eye shut as she tried to sight a perfect hit.

"Both eyes open," came a voice from beside her. Startled, she looked up--it was Kaze, glancing down at her with a little affection. He wasn't smiling at all, but his eyes were unusually gentle as he considered her. "For depth perception."

Too taken aback to say anything, she nodded, and went back to tugging back the string with fingers pinched firmly on the arrow.

Watching, Lisa smiled.

Kaze, unconcerned, let off a round from his shotgun, holding himself with the steady ease of one who well knows his art. Even when the gun bucked in his hand, it didn't set off the angle of his arm in the slightest bit.

As his bullets peppered Aura's Heartless, she took aim with her left-hand revolver, pulling the trigger. A jagged bolt of lightning leapt from the highest barrel, incinerating the keening blob of shadow-stuff where it hovered.

Turning back to her brother, she winked mischievously and blew away the gunsmoke.

Seeing her opportunity as Fabula bounced away from yet another attack, Ai loosed her arrow. It flew perfectly, sinking itself deep into the Heartless' jewellike yellow eye. The thing squealed in agony; Fabula threw a chakram with a vicious yell, cleaving creature and arrow alike in two.

Aura whistled. "Hey, not bad, kid. You've got a pretty steady arm."

Ai puffed out her chest, smiling.

Kiri, sidestepping the Invisible's strike, lopped off its head in a graceful swipe. As its corpse dropped to the ground and dissolved, he resheathed his Maken and sighed, looking peaceful. "Killing these nasty little things just _never _gets old. Man, that feels good."

"Don't get too cocky, now," Fabula warned him, messing up his hair affectionately as she walked past him to the path.

"Who's getting cocky?" he retorted, trying to sort his carmine locks into some sort of order.

Aura snickered; Kiri shot her an evil look. Kaze and Lisa both sighed; Yu was busy helping Ai back up to her seat on the chocobo.

"Next stop, Lukahn village," Kiri yelled. "And I _personally _dare any annoying Heartless that wanna get in our way to just try it! I feel like I can take on the world today!"

"Baka," Fabula said softly, smiling, which kind of ruined the effect.

(TBC)


	11. Resistance

Kokoro no Hanashi

see disclaimer in the Prelude

The town of Lukahn was only a few miles away, at long last.

Kiri, Fabula, Lisa, the mercenaries, and the children had been traveling for the past two days, barely stopping to eat and rest. Kiri was disappointed in the distinct lack of Heartless to take out his irritations on, Lisa (with her lack of stamina) tired quickly, and Ai, who found that she hated the pace, made her dislike known. Very loudly.

But they were almost there.

Almost.

"Okay, lunch break!" Ai announced as the party passed a large oak tree.

Aura shook her head, Kiri sighed, and Fabula smiled. But they set up camp anyway.

"It's your turn to do the cooking," Lisa informed the red-haired swordsman, patting him on the shoulder. Kiri made a face and dug in his pack for his stores of rice.

While he made the preparations, the others got themselves settled. Yu pulled off the chocobo's saddle and armor, getting them ready for a polishing. Ai, bored, practiced drawing her bow with both eyes open a few times, then wandered along the surroundings. Kaze sat against the tree with a soft sigh; both Aura and Lisa paused by his side to see how he was holding up. Fabula got the others' attention by varied means and showed them a few chakram tricks she'd picked up over her long years.

After the scattered applause she got when she'd finished, she sat down, and Ai scooted over to lean over Kiri's shoulder curiously. "What are you making?"

"Curry," Kiri replied decidedly.

"I haven't had that in a while," Ai said, rotating first one shoulder, then the other.

Yu made a face. "I don't like curry. It's too spicy..."

"Too bad," Kiri informed him. "We're having curry."

"Why?" Ai wanted to know.

"Because my recipe repretoire consists of curry, curry, curry, and curry," was the swordsman's response. "My brother Kumo is the chef in my family, whereas I completely suck and cannot be counted on to make anything but curry correctly. I burn meat, my bread never rises, my eggs and vegetables are always undercooked, and I usually forget to add something."

"Sounds like Sis," Yu commented with a laugh.

Ai bopped him on the head. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!"

Wincing, the brown-haired boy scooted sideways as his sister glared menacingly at him.

"Yu-kun, I feel for you," Kiri said emphatically, giving the rice in the pot he was monitoring a stir.

Fabula, sitting off to the side, covered a smile and winked conspiratorially at Ai.

In fifteen minutes' time, Kiri announced to the party that lunch was ready.

"This is really good," Lisa said in some surprise upon tasting.

"Yeah! You don't suck at all," Ai cheered, scrubbing a few stray rice grains off her cheek as she paused in eating for a brief moment.

"Mehh," was Kiri's only response, although his blush told them all they needed to know.

"Hm? What's wrong, Madoushi-kun?" Fabula said teasingly, quirking one eyebrow. "You're being unusually modest for a change."

Aura, who had declined curry in favor of a roll she'd saved from breakfast, snorted. "Madoushi, _modest? _Is that a flying pig I see over there?"

"Shut up," Kiri snapped, glaring at her. She merely laughed, taking another bite out of her roll.

"What's your secret?" Lisa asked, fascinated. "I doubt I could make curry this good, no matter how hard I tried. There's got to be something to it."

"Well..." Kiri said slowly, scratching his head and blushing again. "Really, I just do two things differently from other people. First, because my brother and I both hate onions, I don't put any in... I just steam 'em and add the juice so that I get the flavor without the slime. And second..." More confidently, he gave his audience a wink and a grin. "I have a secret ingredient."

"Really?" Ai wanted to know, her eyebrows going up. "Tell, tell!"

Kiri reached for his pack and dug out a fruit with thick, citrus-like yellow-orangish skin. "This is a kirima... I don't think they grow in this country." Looking mischievous, he turned it in his hands. "The flesh is both very sour and very sweet. Adding it to the mix creates the perfect balance of flavor."

"You put _fruit _in _curry?"_

"Well, yeah," Kiri said defensively. "The first time I did, it was a mistake, but it tasted really good... so you can stop making that grossed-out face at me. You like it just fine yourself..."

"You're really weird, Kiri."

"Ditto you," the red-haired swordsman said, half-pouting. "All you people's dirt-crawler ideas about ownership and property are just bizarre."

"That's interesting," Lisa told him, nodding. "You'd never expect it would taste this good, would you? Fruit in curry... very interesting. I wonder what would happen if I tried something like that..."

Kiri shrugged. "Well, there's this other fruit that I think might also work... It's called pineapple, or something like that. But I've never actually tried that."

"I hate curry," Aura said pointedly, giving Kiri a flat glare. "I hate spicy food, and I can't stand kirima. Next time, let _me _cook. If we can find eggs somewhere, I'll make omelettes for you." She crossed her arms and tossed her bangs, looking sulky and somewhat childish. "If you're not eating just fruit, the _only _fruit you can really add to _anything _is lemon."

"Whatever," Kiri replied, just shaking his head. "I can't make omelettes so I won't complain."

"You better not," Aura growled, twirling a revolver in one hand.

Shaking her head, Lisa interrupted. "Well, we'd better be going on if we want to make it to Lukahn today, right everyone?"

Ai rolled her eyes and sighed. "I guess." Standing up with an exaggerated sulk, she walked over to the tree where she'd set down her pack.

And let out a yell.

"HEY!"

Everyone turned with looks that varied from quizzical to irritated.

"Somebody took my stuff!"

"You must have misplaced it, Ai, no one here could've..." Lisa began uneasily.

Standing up suddenly, Kiri reached for his sword. "It doesn't _have _to be someone here," he said grimly, and pointed. There was a cloaked figure running for the distant form of Lukahn about a mile or so away.

"That stupid IDIOT!" Ai raged, and ran for the chocobo, conveniently forgetting how much she hated it. Dragging herself up into the saddle, she kicked it and was off, running towards the small figure in the distance.

"Wow... look at her go." Aura shook her head.

"Is it a bad thing that she makes me feel old?" Kiri asked no one in particular. Propping his sword on his shoulder, he chased after her.

When Kiri and the others reached Ai, she and the chocobo had already pinned the presumed thief; she'd dismounted and had her foot on the perpetrator's back, arrow fitted to her longbow and pointed at the unlucky person's form.

Whoever they were, they were clad simply in a hooded robe that looked almost like it was made of burlap--certainly, in any case, of some coarse fabric. They were short; a bit shy of Ai and Yu's four feet and three inches. Whoever they were... they couldn't be much more than a child.

"You can let him up now... we won't let him get away," Kiri told her. Begrudgingly, Ai removed the offending foot from the person's back.

They sat up silently.

_"Give-me-back-my-bag-you-stupid-little-thief," _Ai snarled out in one breath.

"What is a thief?" the person asked. They had the voice of a young boy. "Can you... eat it?"

"A thief is what _you _are!" Ai yelled, red-faced. "You're the little _idiot _who stole my bag, and I want it back right now!"

The person shrugged. "In my family, that's just a normal thing to do... you can take whatever you want, anytime."

"I don't care, now give it back!"

Another shrug; the person dug in its robe and then held out Ai's leather drawstring pack. She snatched it with a sigh of relief.

"So where are you from anyway?" Yu asked curiously.

"A town near here. My own village was destroyed by the Heartless, but they took me in. Our leader wants to help restore order in this country by defeating the Heartless when they attack us." The boy pushed back his hood and grinned. "Well, I don't know too much about it, but I bet he'd tell you himself if I brought you to Lukahn."

Lisa sighed in relief. "So Lukahn still has survivors left... I'm so glad...!"

Kiri was staring, quirking one eyebrow. This was the weirdest-looking kid he'd ever seen, and then some. He was pink-skinned and black-eyed, with no hair and no nose on top of that. He'd placed a small pink flower bloom behind his left ear, which only made him look sillier. He gave off that peculiar happy-go-lucky, carefree air which only small children could manage in the modern world.

"You... you're an Empathetic, aren't you?"

"That's right!" the kid said cheerfully. "My name is Fungo."

"That's a weird name," Ai grumbled.

"Don't be rude, Sis, this is really good news," Yu told her. "Maybe since there are still people at Lukahn, we'll have a safe place to stay for a while."

"Mmmph," his sister sulked, still giving Fungo a suspicious glare.

---

With Fungo leading them, Kiri and the others managed to reach Lukahn well before the sun began to set. Unlike the refugee camp Forlorn Hope and the Church of Angelus, it seemed as though a good deal of the villagers had managed to survive the initial attacks by the Heartless. The central section of town, set under guard of watchmen with blowguns, remained largely intact; it was here that Kiri and his companions were taken.

Fungo weaved around groups of military-looking men and women watching over pieces of large machinery to what appeared to have been the town square. Now, there was a large gray-white tent pitched right in the middle of the street, which the boy entered with complete confidence.

"Hey, everybody! I found some more survivors on the outside!"

The four occupants of the tent looked up. The closest to them was a man in heeled gray boots, baggy, dusty red shirt and pants, and a yellow scarf. He was middle-aged, with curly carrot-colored hair, beryl-colored eyes, a strong nose, and a proudly cultivated mustache. He was idly twirling a long cigar between thick fingers, on large hands that seemed to be well-adapted to working hard. Upon seeing the ragged band Fungo had brought, he visibly brightened, giving his unexpected guests a weary smile.

"Welcome, travelers, to the last place in this country where order is maintained--the Comodeen militia of Lukahn. It's good to see that others have made it, as well."

"Finally, somebody else comes in from the outside. Looks like I lost that bet," said a woman standing across from him. She had sharp, hawk-looking hazel eyes and short, spiky violet hair contained by a broad red headband. The full curves of her breasts were constrained by a fading, hooded forest-green middy shirt; she also wore low-slung cargo pants and black combat boots. To Kiri's eyes, she looked tough as nails and about as tomboyish as a woman could get. "Though, I don't mind admitting it's a bet I'm glad to lose." Her voice was unusually deep, rasping and boyish, pleasant on the ears. Kiri had a feeling he'd end up liking this rough-around-the-edges woman before long.

"That's all well and good, Miles, but now you actually have to pay up," the woman beside her commented with a laugh. She was brown-eyed and brunette with Western features, shoulder-length straight hair, a few stray freckles, and a wry smile. She wore a white jumpsuit with a metallic chestplate, and was holding a clipboard and stack of paper in the crook of one arm. By the look of her, she was a little more straight-laced than Miles... her crisp part and the neatness of her appearance told Kiri that much. She was probably a little more feminine, too.

"Miles, Aki, don't get started _now, _when we've got new people around," the man standing across from the brunette groaned. "You don't want to give them a bad impression, do you?"

"You and your scrap-metal toys will give them the worse impression, Cid," Miles told him, rolling her eyes. "It's not gonna be long until they run into your Genevieve or your L'Amant or your Nene or... whatever that new one of yours is."

_"June," _the man named Cid said exasperatedly. He had dark tan skin, sapphire-blue eyes, and short, feathery-looking blonde hair held back by a headset of some kind. He was dressed mostly in gray, and had grease smudges on his clothes that marked him some kind of mechanic. Both his elbows and knees were well-padded, and he wore sensible boots and fingerless leather gloves. Some kind of mechanical console was fixed to his back by a black harness he wore. Despite his irritation with the women Miles and Aki, his straight brows, candid eyes, and open facial features told Kiri he had a pleasant nature and was probably easy to get along with.

"Ignore them," the carrot-top said firmly. "My name is Knave, and I'm the commander in charge here. It's good to see that there are still survivors on the outside."

Kiri bowed slightly. "Thank you. My name is Kiri Madoushi; the others here are Ai and Yu Hayakawa, from the southern fiefdom, Lisa Pacifist, sent to accompany them by their father, Kaze Kuroki and Aura Hougekiju, mercenaries hired to protect them, and Fabula Kronos." He decided he'd rather not mention her occupation just yet.

"Really? How goes the south, then?" Knave asked.

"We're... not sure," Lisa said hesitantly. "Our own home was under attack by the Heartless, and my lord sent us to escape, but... we have no way of knowing what happened to the others. They might have been defeated by now, or they could be still fighting, but..." She shook her head and fell silent.

"Basically, we're looking for someplace safe we can stash these two until there's something that can be done about the Heartless problem," Aura interrupted, brusque as usual. "My brother and I left home as the only survivors of our nation, and the lands we passed through on the way here didn't look any better, so we're hoping there's a suitable place around here."

"Unfortunately, we of the Comodeen see too much fighting to guarantee their safety," Knave replied. "You might want to try Lycanthia, though. The last we heard, their capital city, Garoh, was still free. It's been some time, though, so don't get your hopes up too high. We'd be glad to let you stay here for a few days, however. I'm sure we'll have information that you'll consider valuable, and that you'll have some that we might need."

"Is there someplace where we can get situated?" Lisa asked shyly. "The twins are tired, and... I need a rest, as well."

"Of course," was Miles' response. "I can take you to one of the spare apartments here... and something tells me I'd better take _you, _too, you little scamp." This was directed towards Fungo, whose ear she pinched as she headed back to the tent flap.

After the five of them had departed, Knave sat down, gesturing for the others to do the same. "So? How goes the outside world?"

"Not so good," Kiri replied, shaking his head. As he gave the news from Isu, Sephira, and the Church of Angelus, Knave's expression grew increasingly grim. "They've even gotten as far as _my _home... Mystaria's protections have failed, and I don't doubt that my people are under siege even now."

_"Mystaria? _That crazy place really exists?" Cid asked, looking fascinated.

"Yeah. Really, my crossing paths with Lisa and her lot was a complete coincidence. _I'm _down here because a man named Koryu Gaddys took my little brother's heart, and I want it back." To Knave, Cid, and Aki, his crimson eyes seemed to glow briefly with the force of his desire. "That's why I need to ask you if you know anything about Gaddys and the people he's been working with... where they might be."

"We've been fighting Gaddys and his associates ourselves," Knave said darkly. "They seem to be the ones behind this sudden outburst of Heartless in our lands."

"There are three ringleaders as far as we've been able to find out," Aki told them. "Gaddys, the one you've apparently crossed paths with, joined them most recently. I believe he's from the Weyardan archipelago somewhere, but I could be mistaken. I'm not exactly a traveler myself. He's a physical fighter of great power, who it's said was seduced by the dark arts of the Kuroi-Youkai style. The other two, we don't know as much about... one is a succubus who goes by the name of Kara. She fights with a whip, and like all succubi, is able to leech the power of any man she takes to bed. The last of the three is a dark sorcerer called Azrael Astaroth. That name isn't just for show, either... he's said to be quite the devil. I don't know what his school of magic is, or even if he pursues magic... he could be anything from a necromancer to a spiritualist for all my knowledge. He's said to be the leader of the three, and some have said that he and Kara are lovers. No one knows for certain. But they're after the purest hearts, and if it's true that Gaddys stole your brother's, they're probably the ones you're looking for."

"That's good to know, at least," Fabula mused. "Even the most insignificant information can be vital at times like this."

"Oh, yeah, there's one thing we forgot to tell you," Kiri said with a smirk. "Koryu Gaddys is dead."

Knave, Cid, and Aki looked thunderstruck. "How? What happened? Who told you this?"

"No one _told," _Kiri said pointedly. "I killed him myself."

"For all that he acts like an idiot sometimes, Madoushi's not that bad at fighting," Aura admitted grudgingly.

"Gee, thanks for the support."

"Well, if you're strong enough to defeat Gaddys, maybe you really _do _have a chance," Cid laughed. "We owe you a little rest for that... you've taken out a huge chunk of their offensive power; now we've just got the other two to worry about."

"Thy confidence overwhelms," Kiri said flatly. "Can I go to bed now?"

---

Within about fifteen minutes, almost everyone was asleep.

Lisa sat against the wall with the twins on either side, slumped over with her eyes closed tightly. Fabula, having carefully braided her hair, was curled up on her bedroll again. Kiri had commandeered the room's sole bed, on his back with a hand over his heart, from the looks of things dreaming deeply. Kaze had simply undone his cloak and lain down upon that, unconscious in mere seconds with the force of his exhaustion.

Aura had taken her braids down, but somehow she just couldn't get to sleep like the others. She sat beside her brother, elbows propped on her knees, staring at the ceiling.

It had been bothering her for a while, and now in this half-night punctuated by the bright, new electric lights, she couldn't get away from it anymore.

Most people hated and feared the Heartless. Aura knew that, and she understood why they felt that way. Creatures that lived by feeding off the energy of people's bodiless hearts were _disgusting. _And yet, whenever she was around them, she felt... strange. There was no other way for her to define it. It was an emotion she couldn't possibly begin to describe, alien to her mind in any other circumstance.

It wasn't "ease" or "belonging", that she knew. She could never feel at home among the Heartless. But when she was around them, her world shifted slightly, as though she'd acquired another sense. The air felt strange and textured on her skin; sometimes she _felt _sounds and movements as much as she heard or saw them. And she could always, always tell when a Heartless was sneaking up on her. She didn't understand why, but she was just able to sense when one entered her general vicinity, when other people never saw, heard, or felt them until it was already too late.

It was that sixth sense, the Heartless-sense, that had saved her and her brother in Windaria.

She'd just let her mind go and fought as hard as she could, aiming for the slightest Heartless she even _felt _approaching her or Kaze. She'd been able somehow to punch a path through the writhing darkness so that they could escape.

She didn't know what it was. And that bothered her.

She was as ordinary a gunmage as any in Windaria. Certainly, she had talent, but talent alone couldn't make her feel like _this. _None of the others, even those more powerful than her, had made it out, and yet she had.

It was beginning to make her suspicious.

How was _she _different from all the other people of her destroyed homeland?

It was a puzzle that she just couldn't solve. Maybe, she thought wryly to herself, because she seemed to be missing half the pieces.

Just as her eyelids began to drop, an ear-piercing siren split the air.

The fuzzy old speaker at the top corner of the room burst into noisy life, spouting a crackly, indistinct version of Knave's voice.

"Attack! The Heartless are here! We're under attack!"

(TBC)


	12. Siege

Kokoro no Hanashi

see disclaimer in the Prelude

"I should have known!"

It was that yell, rather than the shouting on the speaker, that prodded Kiri out of his dead slumber.

"Whassgoin'on?" Sitting up, he rubbed sleepily at his eyes, looking back and forth between Aura, standing at the window, and everyone else, looking just as groggy as he felt.

_"Heartless," _Aura said with such hatred that a swift chill ran along Kiri's backbone.

"Well... we should help out, shouldn't we?" Lisa began uncertainly.

Fabula, her braid trailing over her chest, shook her head slightly. "That depends on if they _need _the help or not. No one said anything about how large the Heartless' force is now, have they?"

"There are a lot of them, and they're coming this way _fast," _Aura said tersely.

"Well, how do you know that?" Ai asked suspiciously.

"I just do. It doesn't matter. We _will _be needed, as quickly as we can get down there."

Kiri stood and stretched, cracking the joints in his hands loudly. "Then, shouldn't we get down there? The sooner we deal with this stupid bunch of Heartless, the sooner I can go back to _sleep."_

"Hear, hear," Ai grumbled.

"You _idiots," _Aura growled, already on her way to the stairs.

---

By the time they'd managed to get downstairs, Kiri's opinion had changed drastically.

That was probably due to the fact that Lukahn was entirely surrounded by a mass of squeaking, swirling black bodies.

"Holy _shit. _'A lot of them', she says." He rubbed a hand across his eyes. "Nallorn and Gaedrian, why must everything always go from bad to worse in my life?"

"Yu, please go back upstairs," Lisa said softly. "Unlike the rest of us, you can't fight... it's best if you stay where it's safe. Either way, you'll know what's happened..."

With a sigh and a nod, he did, looking thoroughly depressed.

"We'd best get going, to be able to help everyone hold out as best they can," Fabula told the others, and collectively, they headed to the town square.

Cid and Aki were standing by a large pile of weaponry, directing lines of military members to pick up whatever they felt comfortable with.

"What can we do?" Aura asked simply as the six of them reached the supply line.

"Good timing," Cid told them, pulling off his headset and mopping sweat off his forehead. "We can probably take care of most of the minor Heartless, but the scouts were saying that they saw Kara out there. If that's true, then we're going to need your help, _badly. _She's enough to turn this battle into a siege, all by herself."

"Ai-chan, Aura, Kaze, you need to get to some vantage point where the Heartless can't harm you, but you've got a clear shot. Try to pick off anything that our dartmen miss," Aki told them. Kaze and Aura went without comment to survey the buildings nearby; for once, Ai didn't protest as she followed them.

"Lisa, you'll be needed as a healer, so it's best if we keep you here," said Miles, who was pulling up with a wheelbarrow filled with fresh blowguns. "I don't know what other kinds of magic you know, but we can't waste your power on offense right now. We've got doctors, but no white mages here."

"I doubt Dia could do much here anyway," Lisa murmured, looking dispirited all the same.

"Hey, wait--" Kiri said, frowning as he turned towards her. "What about that thing, you know, the thing you used back at the Sephiras' castle? Can't you use that?"

Lisa blinked, startled, then shook her head. "No... the Kigenjutsu I used back then works by communing with the spirits of life and nature. The Heartless possess no such spirit... I can't do anything against them in this place of death."

Kiri nodded. "Okay, that makes sense." He turned back to the three Comodeen officers. "What about Fabula and me, then?"

"You'll be called upon to relieve our men at the frontlines of battle soon enough," Miles said wryly. "Save your strength until then."

"Send someone up to us when we're needed, then," Fabula replied. "Kiri, we should go back up and stay with Yu until we get called out."

Somewhat taken aback, the red-haired swordsman nodded. "A-alright..."

As they headed back up the stairs to their makeshift room, Fabula laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I know how badly you want to help everyone, but there's truly nothing we can do but try to keep up Yu's spirits until we're called into action."

Kiri sighed and said nothing. Sometimes it was frightening, how accurately Fabula could read his emotions, but this time he was grateful. It spared him the trouble of having to say anything.

"It's just... I can't help wishing that Kumo were here," he told her at last.

Fabula didn't respond, but there was a question in her blue-green cat's eyes.

Kiri let out a long sigh. "You might not think it, but Kumo actually has deeper reserves of power than I do. He can hold out longer in a battle than I can, if he really needs to. If we were here together, we'd be able to work off each other, improvise, use complicated summons that we can only pull off if we're side by side... but I'm alone, and I can't help being really afraid that my power won't be enough. I'm not some demigod like Nallorn and Gaedrian are. I'm not a hero, with all the right answers. I'm just me, and I have a lot of limits to _everything. _Summoning takes a lot out of me. I can only do so much of it without permanently damaging my Maken, and what I _can _do isn't a lot. I'll fight for as long as possible, and then I'll run out of power and I'm _down. _With Kumo, I... don't have to worry as much. We combine our strength, don't have to waste so much power... it's the worst thing in the world, for my connections to Doukyou to just shut down like that. And he's always so calm and unshakable when something bad happens...

"I really... I just really wish he was here with me... because I can't stop wondering, what would he do? What would he be thinking right now, if we were here together? If he was here alone, and it was _my _heart that Koryu Gaddys took? Would there be some way out of this, if Kumo was fighting at my side?

"Because, Fabula... I don't know what to do..."

They'd paused a little below the top step, and through the darkness, Fabula could see crystalline tears on Kiri's cheeks.

She said nothing, but slipped her arm around his shoulders and gave them a comforting squeeze, letting him know that she acknowledged his pain.

---

Aki directed Lisa to the doctors' quarters, a series of tents pitched against the side of a crumbling brick building.

"You and I will be stationed here for now," the brunette informed her. "How strong are your healing abilities, Lisa-san?"

Some other time, Lisa might have replied that she was nothing special, but she knew that lives might depend on an honest answer. "Jamagus-level. I specialize in repairing damage to hearts, but I received my mastery at the healers' university to the far south, so I can do a little for just about anything." (A/N: Jamagus-level white mages are capable of casting all healing spells up to Curaja, which is the next best thing to an Elixir in battle and as far as I know has not been used much since the original FF, Diaja, Healaga, Protera, Shellra, Esunara, and Basunara, and may or may not eventually learn the Holy spell. The Jamagus title, however, has remained in use for mages throughout Final Fantasy.)

Aki's eyebrows went up and down, but all she offered in reply was, "Good. The worst cases will probably go to you first, then one of us; if you don't get any of those, feel free to support the doctors in whatever ways you can. The longer this fight drags out, the greater number of wounded we'll have coming in here, and the faster they'll arrive, too. I hope you're used to siege conditions. If your friends can't add anything significant to our power, that's what this is going to turn into."

Lisa was silent, trapped in her memories of the siege on the Hayakawa fiefdom. Those battles had been awful, and their castle was surrounded by a thick stone wall... how much more horrible would this fight be?

What had she gotten the children into, bringing them here?

---

At the top floor of the dilapidated building, Ai went straight to her post at the window, leveling her crossbow at her shoulder as close to the decaying frame as she could. With one glance at the girl, Aura led Kaze over to the bed and gently pushed on his shoulder, making him sit down.

"How have you been holding up?" she asked in a low voice, rare worry threading through her silver eyes. "You're still tired, I can see it. Kaze-niisan... can I even allow you to take part in this fight?"

There were dark rings below Kaze's eyes as he looked up to meet his sister's gaze. "I can fight."

"That's not good enough. You're sleep-deprived, you're still suffering from the last time you used _that _thing, and there's something on your mind that's bothering you. I know you better than all that--you can't fool me. How should I know you aren't going to pass out on us, or try to summon again in your condition? That Pacifist woman said something was wrong with your heart back there. I didn't want to believe it then, but now I think there might be some truth to what she says. And if she was right in any way, I don't want you pushing yourself any harder than you have to. We aren't alone now. We have Fabula, and that healer woman, and the Comodeen, and that idiotic Madoushi and Ai--even though she's a squirt, she's got dead aim, and she's really going to help out here. So you can afford to rest for a while until one of us needs you to take our place."

"I--" Kaze began, but Aura cut him off again.

"No, Kaze-niisan." Those harsh eyes softened, and Aura loosely put her arms around her brother's sharp, lean shoulders. "You're the only brother I'll ever have, and I love you. I can't let you take these risks when you could be seriously hurt in the process. You will get your chance to fight, when you're rested. I won't take no for an answer, you know that, so just lay down. You can take over for Ai when she gets tired, okay?"

Kaze finally gave in, allowing his sister the ghost of a smile. "As long as you rest yourself as well."

"You know I will."

So saying, Aura headed over to the building's other window, kneeling down and pulling out one revolver. "Ai-chan. Even though you've got plenty of arrows, pick your shots. See if you can get 'em through the eye--that'll take care of them, and we can use as many KO's as we can get. Okay?"

"Yeah," the red-haired girl replied, loosing her first arrow.

It hit one tiny Heartless dead through one of its overlarge yellow orbs; it squealed and burst into bits of shadow, vanishing.

---

"Hey," Fabula said with a raised hand as she sat back down on her bedroll. Kiri, a crease of worry lining his brow, stood beside the bed he'd napped on as if unsure whether to get on it or not.

"Oh... hi." Yu looked between the two of them, blinking in confusion. "What's going on...? Don't tell me... the battle...?"

"Nah, we're just hanging out with you until we can be of any use," Kiri replied, flopping down on the bed at last. "We're supposed to be relieving the Comodeen's forces when they get tired... or something like that."

"Yes... this does seem as though it'll be a long haul," Fabula said simply, smacking her bedroll with a slight frown. "We'll stay here until we're called... we'll need rest if we're to fight at the best of our ability."

Yu sighed.

"What is it?"

"I can never help out in any way," he told them, staring down at his hands in depression. "Sis can fight, and so can all of you. Lisa-san's even a healer, and Chobi carries us back and forth to all the different places we visit... but I can't ever do anything to help anyone, not even defend myself."

Standing, Fabula walked over to the boy's side, sitting down next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Not all of us were meant to help others through fighting, you know."

"But how can I defend anyone if I don't know how?" Yu asked plaintively, spreading his hands wide. "What if something happens to the rest of you, and I'm left all on my own? I'd die out in the real world..."

"Yu-kun, your strength is in your pure heart and the kindness you share with others," Fabula told him. "Fighting is _not _the answer that will open closed doors. Sometimes it's better to be good-natured and helpless than volatile and powerful."

"Sure," Kiri added. "Most of Kronos' life has been a study in helping people without fighting."

"What do you mean?" Yu ventured.

"I'm a Guide, and have been for a very long time," Fabula explained. "What that meant for me... was that I would continue to live long after the deaths of my family and my people, in order to give assistance to those who needed it. I couldn't interfere in the lives of mortals except in very special cases, and even to those special people I could openly talk to, I could only give advice and counsel. Sometimes what I told them saved their lives, or the lives of others close to them."

"Really?" Yu frowned. "But then, if you can't interfere with people's lives, then why...?"

"The person I've been Guiding for the past several years has been Kiri's younger brother, Kumo. When his heart was lost and Mystaria's defenses were breached, I knew I had to do something to save everyone. This time, the only way for me to help everyone was to come in person--Kumo would have died if I hadn't intervened." Her smile grew bitter. "Even if this means I've broken Guide law... I'll be punished severely when this quest is over, but... it's worth it. Kumo is _innocent. _He's done absolutely nothing wrong, nothing to deserve a fate like this...!"

"Oh." It was impossible to read what Yu was thinking in his darkened umber eyes.

Shaking her head, Fabula smiled again, wryly this time. "But enough of that. It's very rare that I can't usually help out a situation by offering my view on things, and supporting the ones who actually are doing the fighting and decision-making."

"It could be worse," Kiri piped up from his position on the bed. "You could be like me. I get mad at the drop of a hat, and the only way I know of solving problems is to shake something pointy at them."

Finally, a laugh. It wasn't much, but it was still a victory.

"Hey, I know. Once we manage to get out of this crazy mess, how about I start giving you some basic swordsmanship lessons? I'm sure we can manage to pick up or make a practice sword for you _somehow. _It'd at least make you able to protect yourself if you had to, though I can't really promise much about my ability as a teacher. I'll try to be patient, but…" Kiri let his voice trail off and shrugged, embarrassed at how he'd let himself babble on. However, Yu was staring at him with piqued interest in his brown eyes.

"I'd like that!"

_"Boys," _Fabula scoffed, putting worlds of scorn into the word.

"And what's wrong with having a d—"

_"Kiri!"_

"—instead of a c—"

"DON'T USE THAT KIND OF LANGUAGE IN FRONT OF YU, YOU IDIOT!"

"—is what I'd like to know," Kiri finally finished.

"For _one _thing, you always seem to have to use the most bizarre and inappropriate terms for certain parts of the human anatomy," Fabula said primly, taking on a severe, schoolmarm-ish tone of voice that made Yu hide a giggle behind his hand. "And you never pay attention to your parents during The Talk."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really. If you had, you would know that women actually _do _have one of those, though it's vestigial. It's called a clitoris and it's the reason why we enjoy a good round of mattress dancing as much as any guy."

"I can't believe _you _still use the term 'mattress dancing'."

"It's better than the term _you _use, Madoushi you piece of gutter scum."

Kiri, who'd sat up while giving Yu his offer, threw back his head with his hand, palm up, over his eyes in an over-theatrical injured pose. "Struck through the heart! Madam, please do remember that even the lowliest of gutter scum has feelings that can be wounded _ever _so deeply…"

"Dumbass." Rolling her eyes, Fabula picked up a pillow and tossed it at him. Grinning, he batted it away before it struck. "Besides, we 'gentle womenfolk', believe it or not, have more balls than all the young men in our little party combined. And that's even with the generous inclusion of Yu."

Said generous inclusion had given up trying to hide his laughter and was now bent over, gasping for breath and still seizing in fits of hilarity.

"Why are you allowed to be vulgar when I'm not?" Kiri complained.

"Because unlike you, I think with my head far out of my rear end, and I also know that swords aren't the only things with which one can defend oneself."

"Meaning…"

"Meaning I was going to offer Yu chakram lessons before you walked off with my opportunity, you tactless idiot," Fabula said flatly, though something suspiciously resembling a smile had curved her lips.

"Even after all that talk about nonviolent assistance?" Kiri whistled. "Hypocrite."

Fabula stood and performed an elaborate actor's bow, twirling her wrists as she made a leg at them. "Thank you, thank you, kind sir. Much of my living has indeed come from bullshitting the bullshitters. My, how WONderful it is to finally receive the recognition I deserve!"

Seeing how hard Yu was laughing, Kiri smiled at his silver-haired companion, feeling his chest fill with the glow of pride. They had accomplished _something _here, at last.

---

"Hey, Kaze-niisan, look at this," Aura said quietly, setting down her guns and motioning for Ai to lay her crossbow aside as well. Curious, the tall brunet stood and headed over to her, bending to peer out the window.

"That must be the Kara bitch everyone is talking about."

Squinting (Aura's vision was far better than his own, though he had never had to wear glasses), Kaze looked until he picked out the image of a woman standing amidst the Heartless.

"I can't _see," _Ai whined. "Where?"

Aura pointed. "There—she has red hair and she's trussed up in some kind of fetish shit. And I think she's got a whip with her."

Kaze nodded grimly. Kara (if it was her) was riding on a beastlike Heartless of the type the party had run into before arriving at the campsite. Her hair was the color of oxidized blood, and fell in crimped curls to her upper thighs. What Aura had identified as "fetish shit" seemed to Kaze to be either black or dark red scraps of leather attached to some kind of dark braided rawhide that (barely) covered the necessary parts of her breasts and a thonglike garment that seemed to be made of the same material, or something similar. The succubus also had on velvety, wine- or blood-colored opera gloves, tight knee-length black boots with spiked heels, and flimsy-looking but armored shoulder pads. To Kaze's eyes, she did indeed seem to be playing with a braided whip of admirable length. However…

"It's barbed," he murmured. Moonlight glinted off the weapon's tip.

"Wonder if it's coated in poison?" Aura asked with mild interest. "Anyway, it looks like she's not fighting, just directing the troops—I doubt there's much she can do without dragging men out to whip or fuck so that she can steal their life force." (At the use of this previously deeply forbidden expletive, Ai looked up with upraised eyebrows; Kaze scowled to himself and wished Aura would at least clean up her act when there were children around.) "But if she's giving the Heartless direction… that's probably why the Comodeen are having this much trouble, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Ai replied. "They're pretty stupid on their own."

"Hmmn. Better take a rest now, kid. Let Kaze-niisan do something for once, and keep yourself from getting those wrist tendons inflamed."

Ai sighed and headed back to the bed, flopping down on it dispiritedly. Kaze checked the shot in his gun by flipping the heavy rectangular barrel down and exposing the cartridge and the bullets already laid to explode down the tubes. Kneeling and resting the shotgun against his lean thigh, Kaze flicked the top few. He sensed no problems and so shifted the barrel back up, then aimed, sighting with his wary squint.

Aura's silver eyes flashed with grim humor, and the two of them shot.

---

The door to the room crashed open, revealing a sweaty-faced Miles, whose chest heaved with the effort of her breathing.

Kiri sat up sharply, his hand instantly going to the hilt of his Maken. "Already?" he asked seriously.

Miles took a few more moments to breathe, then nodded. "We can't wait any longer for backup or people are going to get themselves killed out there," she managed, panting. "You have to come help us, _now."_

Kiri swung his feet around to the floor, but Fabula was already standing up, shaking her head.

"Wait, Kiri. We should try to keep some kind of reserve. I'll go to help now—you wait until later, when push comes to shove. Neither of us is all-powerful, and if you have to summon, I'd rather you do it only if there's no other choice, and _fresh, _so that you can keep some strength for fighting afterwards."

Miles looked at the two of them in concern. "Just you? Are you _sure? _I don't mean to be patronizing, but… you know…"

Kiri snorted. "Oh, don't you worry about Kronos here. She can take plenty care of herself, you know. For now, she'll do fine."

"But, with wooden chakrams…" Miles protested.

Fabula smiled slow and darkly, flicking her wrists. Even in the darkness of the room, there was a bright flash of steel. Not even bothering to look, she held out her arms in front of her, crossing them at the elbow. There was a satisfying smack of wood against her palms as she gripped her chosen weapons.

Miles raised her eyebrows; Kiri snickered and Yu tried to hide a soft laugh. Fabula had not been idle while she waited. Instead, she had fitted a series of sharp, triangular blades into the grooves that ran the length of her weapons. Her chakrams now bristled with metal in all but the short spaces she now gripped, which had been wrapped with medical tape. Those spaces were the exact lengths of her palms, with barely an inch's margin of error. If she had made a false grab, Fabula's hands and fingers would be severely damaged at best, cleanly amputated in all likelihood.

"I think I'll do alright," Fabula said with a small shrug. There was not a trace of smugness in her voice, and Kiri had to shake his head in wonder.

"Don't you kill all those Heartless without leaving me at _least _a few," Kiri shot at her, grinning.

"Oh, don't you worry, Madoushi—there'll be plenty more where these came from all over these lands when we leave." Fabula rolled her eyes, waved with one of those spiky circles of death at boy and swordsman, and headed down the stairs, followed by Miles.

After a long silence, she spoke.

"So how bad _is _it out there?"

Miles shook her head. "The healers are already up to their elbows in blood and death. Everyone's doing what they can, but…"

"How many Heartless left?"

"No end in sight."

Fabula sighed and shook her head. "This isn't the first or the worst siege I've seen, not by far… but it's up there. We'll do what we can—that's all I can really promise you, I'm afraid."

They opened the door. Shaking her head, Fabula walked steadily to the lines of battle.

The Comodeen not busy actively fighting the wave of Heartless paused in their frantic duties to stare wonderingly at her. Serene as the night was meant to be, she walked slowly and gracefully, placing one foot in front of the other with bristling death in either hand, her moonlight-colored hair rippling as she went.

The acrid tang of blood and dust, the cries of the wounded and dying, the shrieks of the Heartless themselves—all were a soothing elixir to Fabula. After ages of sitting helplessly, here she was again on the battlefield.

Where, somewhere in her heart, she knew she belonged.

Reaching the outer circle of the camp's defense, Fabula raised one hand into the air, knowing that her chakram was held by her powers around her wrist like some oversized bracelet.

Fell magic sang through her blood, and the jewel at her forehead began to glow.

She snapped her fingers sharply, and harshly barked out the spell's trigger: "SLOWRA."

Heartless squealed as they curled and writhed in black-violet waves at her feet, struggling against the force of her command. Until the spell wore off, however, it would be no use. Shouting in relief, the Comodeen began to destroy all that they could in the time that was given to them.

Fabula simply slashed her way through the chittering sea of Heartless molasses, forging her path to where she knew Kara lay ahead.

Feeling an excited prickle along her shoulderblades, Fabula knew that Aura was watching her, and felt a thrill of—what, exactly?—in her chest. She wondered what the girl thought as she glimpsed the Guide's true nature, the goddess of battle hidden in the forcedly pacific shell.

And she buried those thoughts within her, swearing to herself she'd look them over once the battle was well finished.

Slashing faster now, Fabula turned her sedate walk into a fierce trot, then a near-sprint.

Finally reaching the bemused-looking succubus atop her frustrated Heartless mount, she stopped, holding out one chakram, death blazing in her slit-pupiled eyes.

"Kara," she growled, her voice feral as any wild cat's.

"A challenger?" the succubus purred. Her eyes were the same color as her hair—rusty, oxidized blood. Surely, the blood of the unfortunates she'd spilled after she'd enjoyed her taste of them between her whore's legs.

In response, Fabula threw her right-hand chakram with all the strength she could muster.

It went straight through the bullish Heartless Kara sat on, and as the beast squalled and died, it cut its way through several more unfortunate beasts before it returned to its wielder's hand, its glittering blades pearly red with blood.

Kara smirked, stood, and raised her whip.

Seeing the muscles in the succubus' arm tense, Fabula leapt backward, and landed on her toes, saving herself from a sprawl forward by thrusting the heel of her left hand into the dirt before her.

"Smart girl, aren't you?" Kara purred, and lashed the whip again, stepping forward.

This time, Fabula threw herself bodily to the side instead of leaping back, knowing that Kara wanted to box her against the nearest building (which happened to be the gunner siblings' vantage point). Instead of letting its cord wrap around her throat, the whip's barbed tip merely grazed Fabula's upper arm. Glaring, the Guide threw her right-hand chakram again, hard and fast.

Kara stepped out of its way almost lazily, dodging it just as easily as it flew its return course.

Tensing her body, Fabula threw her left from the wrist at the moment her right chakram hit her palm with the old, familiar stiff sting.

Kara, caught off guard this time, did not step back quickly enough, and a dark, bloody gash opened along her right thigh. Her lips tightened in anger, and she drew the whip back again, snapping it faster this time.

Realizing her blunder, Fabula almost groaned aloud when the whip's braided lash snapped her chakram in mid-flight. Knowing what would happen and not caring, Fabula lunged for her weapon, trusting her hands not to fail her.

As the whip's barb opened a deep slash over her chest and a lighter laceration over her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, Fabula felt the chakram's taped grip hit her hand and let out a sharp sigh of relief.

Gathering herself and ignoring the pain of her wounds by putting it sharply as far from her mind as she could place it, Fabula bunched her legs beneath her and prepared to lunge through the whip's wide range to close with Kara, swiping her arms behind her back to hook the chakrams there.

But as she made to spring, her heart gave a sick lurch of shock as her vision faded to tones of blue and a floaty dreaminess laced through her skull.

Realizing too late, she turned her powered leap forward into a sloppy backward hop. The world tilted and swayed crazily, and she staggered as she landed messily.

Raising her hands into a "defense" position, Fabula quickly swiped two fingers over her bloody cheek, trying to ignore the way that the sick blue had turned to tints of green, making Kara's hair, eyes, and gloves a sickly acid black. Fighting to think, she licked the blood on her fingertips. It tasted sweet—far too sweet.

_So that barb is coated in some kind of drug, _Fabula thought grimly. _Careless. It's not like me to be so careless._

"Oh, poor dear," Kara crooned, gathering her braided whip in her hand, walking forward with a lovely sinuous twist to her hips. "Just figuring things out, are we?"

Fabula staggered back, still keeping up her feeble guard position with her arms though she knew it would do her no good.

From behind her, catching both her and the advancing succubus off guard, there was a sudden scream of hate.

_"You keep your hands off her, you fucking whore!"_

Blasts of gunfire, filled with hot, furious loathing.

The world swam back into color just as patches of ice formed along the ground where Kara had just stood, then as blasts of lightning charred the earth that her feet had just danced away from.

The slide of gravel as someone slid down the side of the building behind her; the gunshots ever gaining volume… and then a supportive _(intimate) _arm around her waist as everything went mercifully black.

Just before she lost consciousness entirely, Fabula heard Aura's terse voice barking out orders to her brother as she felt herself being walked backwards.

"I'm getting her out of here! Someone go get Madoushi, _now—_and don't let that bitch come a step closer than she is to this town! We are _NOT _letting these conceited bastards win!"

:TBC:


	13. Siege, part 2

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the Prelude

Lisa had just finished treating her latest patient and sat down to rest when she heard Aura's harsh, angry orders outside the healers' tent.

Looking up just in time, the black-haired woman paled as the female mercenary shoved her way unceremoniously into the tent. Aura was half-supporting, half-dragging Fabula as she walked; she had an arm around the older woman's waist and was gripping the wrist of the arm she'd placed over her shoulders. Fabula was leaning heavily on Aura, walking in the dizzy swoon that was usually associated with drunks, drug addicts, or fever victims; she seemed semiconscious at best, with her eyes closed, her skin sweat-shiny and waxy pale, and her breath rasping. There was a light, clean-looking scratch on her upper arm, and another on her face, tracing over her cheekbones like the old scar that disfigured Kaze's countenance. It was bleeding heavily, but that didn't necessarily mean anything; head wounds usually bled quite profusely.

No, what worried Lisa was the deep, ugly-looking slash that drew a gaping horizontal line over Fabula's breasts. The front of her pale yellow dress was soaked in bright crimson, and little droplets of blood were already starting to splatter on the floor.

And what could cause Fabula to lose consciousness like this? Heaven knew that the woman didn't seem to mind the sight of blood…

Catching sight of Lisa, Aura hauled her unresponsive charge over to the healer.

"She seems to've been hit by some kind of poison-coated weapon," Aura said tersely. "It's that Kara bitch out there, all right—she's the one who did this. I swear, I am going to murder that sad excuse for a woman for this."

"Sit her down, _hurry," _Lisa urged. "I have to assess the poison or drug quickly, so that she doesn't go into toxic shock. I'll do what I can, but I don't know if I can really help her…"

"Try," Aura ordered, her eyes flashing.

"But if that's really Kara out there, don't you need to go help?"

Aura shook her head; her braids bounced. "I think Kaze-niisan can take care of this… Ai is going to get Kiri. Together, I'm pretty sure that they can get rid of that Kara bitch."

Lisa started to speak, then hesitated and shook her head. She highly doubted that this was the time to bring up the truth about Kaze's condition, but she was very worried that Aura's claim that Kaze could "take care of this" would involve his summoning, and further endangering his heart…

"I don't see you doing anything," Aura snapped.

Lisa gave the irritable young woman a tired look, but just as she was about to turn to get fresh medical supplies, Fabula's hand shot out and gripped her wrist.

"It's… some kind of… strong sedative," she managed, breathing hard, her eyes half-open and glassy with the effects of the drug. "Don't worry… just… take care of _these…"_

"Stop trying to talk, stupid," Aura said sharply, though Lisa thought she heard some rough concern in the younger woman's voice. "Don't fight it—rest."

"Yes… mother…" Smiling weakly, Fabula let go of Lisa and leaned back against the chair she'd been deposited in with a pained sigh. From that point, she seemed unconscious—completely this time.

Shoving soft sterile pads into Aura's hands, Lisa unceremoniously pulled Fabula's dress collar down over her shoulders, fully exposing her wound. "Don't just stand there, help me apply pressure," she told Aura, biting her lip worriedly.

Wordlessly, Aura clamped two pads onto the worst part of the gash. She stood there with a grip like iron and a flinty, inscrutable look on her face as Lisa began to murmur, her palms glowing with holy light.

---

"WHAT?" Kiri stared, shocked. "Fabula's been hurt!"

Ai nodded, gasping for breath. She'd just come bolting in and burst out with the news, saying that Kiri needed to come help Kaze right away.

"Sis, what's going on out there?" Yu asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"That stupid Kara lady just got a bunch of really _big _Heartless to show up out of _nowhere," _Ai managed, shaking her head. "Somebody has to get rid of them, or else…!"

Kiri was already halfway to the stairs. "I'll go. The two of you, stay here—I doubt there's anything more you can do to help than you've already done. Good work." Not even bothering to look behind him to make sure that the twins were doing what they'd been told, Kiri slammed open the door before him and headed out onto the battlefield.

He could hear Knave shouting out orders over the speaker system and Miles yelling hoarsely to the various troops who were running back and forth over the perimeter of the area. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw Cid directing a few errant soldiers. The lines of dartmen and hand-to-hand fighters who'd been keeping minor Heartless away were mostly in the same places, but they seemed thinner; even now there were men and women being borne away towards the healers' tents.

And the dark shapes of Darkside Heartless loomed on the horizon—three of them.

Kiri swore. He'd had enough trouble just dealing with the _one _at the Church of Angelus…

It was easy to pick Kaze out, even in the bedlam of the siege. The lanky summoner was standing atop one of the buildings, his black cloak billowing about his too-gaunt body, staring into the Heartless defiantly.

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Kiri dashed over to the flat-roofed brick house and launched himself into the air, his mantle rippling as he shot upwards to land at Kaze's side.

Kaze turned slightly to stare a few inches down into Kiri's stubborn crimson eyes. "We must summon in tandem. Are you ready?"

"I doubt fire's going to do us much good here," Kiri said doubtfully, "but whatever. If you've got something in mind, do it. I'm a little short on ideas right now."

"Not fire… ice."

Kiri's eyebrows went up. "Well… if you can freeze those big things, then I think my Ittouju can destroy them. Let's just pray we pull this off…"

Kaze nodded gravely, then turned back to the Heartless and held out his right arm.

Kiri let out a slow breath of Mist, closing his eyes and concentrating on stilling the rapid pulsing of his heart. _Nallorn and Gaedrian, don't let me screw this up. _Even hearing Kaze shout beside him, he kept his eyes closed, slowly drawing two of the bottles at his belt.

When he looked, Kaze was standing ready, his finger tight on the trigger of that black-streaked golden gun, his own left hand at the ammunition belt slung across his waist.

Kiri nodded. "Go on."

Kaze stabbed a judgmental finger at, not the Heartless, but Kara, standing with a sardonic smirk down below. "THE SOIL CHARGE TRIAD TO USE AGAINST YOU HAS BEEN DECIDED!"

Kiri felt a slow smile begin to curve his lips. No matter the circumstances, he loved it when things looked as though they were getting interesting.

In practiced movements, Kaze drew three bullets from his belt. "The cry of a soul kept from the light—Dark Green." Folding two of his triad into his palm, the strange summoner effortlessly flipped the first into one of the open chambers of his gun. "The one who forbids the propagation of life—Virgin White." Again, that easy practiced movement. "And, finally… to freeze all things—Ice Blue." Kaze jammed the caps down, and swung the fully loaded Magun up. "SHINE! I summon you—_Shokanju Shiva!"_

There was a deafening blast, and gunsmoke swirled around the two of them as a brightly shining form erupted from the muzzle of Kaze's gun, shooting straight for the giant Heartless. Bright white swirls covered the squirming black forms in the distance, freezing the limbs of the Darksides and many of the little Shadow Heartless' entire bodies.

Kiri glared into the indignantly squeaking masses, picking out Kara's form and thinking coldly, _You hurt my friend, you stupid bitch. _"Listen to the eternal instrumental duo…" Swinging his arm up, he flung both Mist bottles into the air. "DUET OF THE SCARLET DAWN!"

Reflexively, he slashed the bottles open; from each erupted a snarling crimson dragon. Both swept through the battlefield, destroying Heartless in droves by mere contact, running a Darkside through and converging on the remaining one. The three creatures squalled, then vanished into swirls of black.

Kiri staggered, drained. He doubted he had even the strength to pull off a single summon after this; the stress of the siege alone had been tugging on his energy all night.

Kara was glaring up at them. She did not seem happy.

There was a sudden shout that drew both Kiri and Kaze's stunned attention. Some odd sort of vehicle was racing through the masses of Heartless, Cid at its helm. Miles sat in the thing's open back, firing what looked almost like some kind of cannon attached to the side. Instead of a ball, however, it launched what looked like a sphere of light energy, which vaporized the Shadow Heartless when it hit them.

It was heading straight towards Kara.

A loud and energetic "KWEH!" nearly made Kiri smack himself for not taking more care with the twins. There they were, riding their chocobo out in Cid's wake. Yu was steering; Ai was firing rapid crossbow shots at whatever Heartless happened to be closest to her at the moment.

"You win—for now." It was Kara's voice; she sounded disgruntled. "But mark my words, I will be back. You're not getting away from me _that _easily."

She vanished into a twist of black smoke.

Kiri sighed and dropped to his knees, giving up his struggle to stay conscious and letting the world go mercifully black.

---

Surveying the empty, weapon-scored plains that surrounded what remained of Lukahn, Aura sighed raggedly. It was still early morning, and in the raw dawn it was still somewhat cold out in the open. "We won."

"Barely," Fabula, still sitting in a spare folding chair, said wearily. "If it hadn't been for Cid's invention and the children's willingness to fight, Kara couldn't have been driven off—you saw Kaze and Madoushi; they're both all in even after summoning just once. Your brother's still sick, and Madoushi just isn't strong enough yet to be able to do more. He still has potential, but his strengths are limited yet. I don't know what we're going to do if we get attacked on our way to Lycanthia."

Lisa nodded, still unsure of whether she should tell the other women the truth about Kaze's "illness". Surely it should be his choice, but if they continued to depend on him, his condition could easily worsen, until…

"Well, even if it does take us a while to pick up our strength, we've got to get out of this place," Aura told them bluntly. "That bitch is pissed, she's going to be after us, and if we stay with the Comodeen, Lukahn is going to turn into nothing more than a death trap. This place can't survive another siege, and in our condition, I doubt that _we _can, either. We're just gonna have to hope that there really is somebody upstairs who'll be nice enough to let us live through the journey. And let there be survivors of some kind in Lycanthia."

Fabula shook her head. "If my knowledge of that country is at all accurate, there should be at least some people left there. Their kind doesn't die easily."

Lisa kept silent, praying that she was doing the right thing.

---

_"Niisama… Niisama!"_

_Kiri looked over his shoulder, edging himself up on his elbows in bed. Kumo was standing behind the bedframe, looking down at him anxiously, haloed in white._

_"Kumo…? What in the…?"_

_"Niisama, you must not follow Kara. She holds… danger for all men, but especially you. Niisama, you must never, never fight her, no matter what the reason might be for you to try…"_

_Kiri shook his head. "Kumo, why… why are you telling me this? How do you know about Kara anyway?"_

_"It isn't important, Niisama, just listen to me—please." Kumo's eyes were filled with worried tears. "The children must be protected at all costs, so you _mustn't _follow Kara. Do you understand?"_

_"I'm not… following anyone," Kiri replied, confused. "I… we're going to Lycanthia. And I have been protecting the children. Yu wants to learn to fight, so I'm going to teach him, as best as I can… Kumo, what are you talking about anyway? I don't get any of this."_

_"I have to go now, Niisama. It's hard for me to keep doing this. It hurts…" Kumo's face was indeed whitened by pain; his pale-knuckled fist had remained clenched at his chest all through his mystifying speech. "But please, _please _just think about what I've told you. Don't court danger, Niisama, you must stay alive…"_

_Kiri struggled to sit up. "Kumo, wait! Where are you? How can I find you? Kumo!"_

_But when he blinked, his brother's form had vanished, as though Kumo had never been there in the first place._

---

Kiri's eyes snapped open as he launched forward, and he realized in a rush that he'd been dreaming.

"Finally awake, are you?"

Kiri blinked and looked to his left. Fabula was standing there, wearing a white shift in place of her travel dress, which was being washed of blood. At the dip in the shift's neckline, Kiri could see the beginning of thick layers of bandage; it seemed that the necessity of her wounds led her to bind her chest with linen instead of wearing a breastband. Her other cuts already seemed to be healing nicely; there was only a faint brownish line on her face in place of the deceptively serious-looking slash she'd gotten from Kara.

Kiri almost groaned. "How long was I out?"

"Not _too _long, just a little less than a day and a half. That was some pretty nice precision summon work there… you need to practice more to build up your stamina, though."

Kiri grimaced. "You don't have to rub it in."

"I'm not rubbing anything in, baka. I'm congratulating you for pulling that off at your current skill level. You and Kaze did _very _well." Something in Fabula's warm smile made Kiri look away evasively as she reached out to ruffle his unruly red hair. "I'm proud of you."

"It was a little weird, working with him," Kiri said, shrugging one shoulder. "The timing was a little harder to wrangle, working with a summoner of a different discipline…"

"You're so modest," Fabula teased. "Who are you, and what have you done with Madoushi? What happened to all the elitist boasting we all know and loathe?"

"Very funny."

"We're going to be leaving tomorrow, so rest up to get your strength back, alright? It wouldn't do to pass out while we're on the road." Fabula grinned, inviting him to share the joke.

Kiri just rolled his eyes. "So what's the deal with this Lycanthia place, anyway?"

"It used to be a part of this country, but it broke off about two hundred years ago, becoming a self-sufficient smaller country. It still conducts trade with these cities, or _used _to…" Fabula shook her head. "Anyway, there are two towns within Lycanthia—the small village of Garoh is where we'll be headed first."

"And we think that the twins can be protected there… why?" Kiri prompted, raising an eyebrow.

"Kiri, are you familiar with the term _lycanthrope?"_

Kiri shook his head.

"It's an old word for the people who have the ancient power to transform their human bodies into those of beasts—wolves, usually, though I think there are a few settlements in the Proxian snow deserts that have people who can turn into dragons. Several thousand years ago, the prejudice towards their races reached a peak and the lycanthropes of most of the world were wiped out in a war known as the Great Purge. They've recovered a little since then, but not much. It's understandable that Lycanthia and its people would want to live separately from most of the humans here, at least for now."

"I remember now… I think I once heard that werebeasts fought in the wars between Mystaria and Windaria," Kiri mused. "I can't remember on whose side, though. History was never really my strong suit."

"They don't stick out quite as much as you Mystarians do," Fabula told him, reaching out to tap one of the long spikes protruding from his forehead, "but they're visibly different from most humans, and they don't always act like them. Like the Windarians, the Empathics, and the Seru, they're a race that seems almost to be fading from this world. But they have their own considerable powers, and I think that even if we can't find help in Garoh, we'll be able to get assistance in their capital city."

"Seru? I've never heard of that race before."

Fabula shook her head. "I keep forgetting that you haven't had as much experience with the lands down here as I have. Seru are a race of magical creatures, which, according to myth, were a gift from the divine force of the world to humankind when it seemed that the weaker human races would be wiped out by marauding beasts during the early stages of their evolution. Eventually, however, humans started to outgrow the need to use Seru, and so their species has been dying out. Most of them have no humanoid forms; they look like stone beasts unless they choose to assimilate with humans, lending them greater strength or special powers. You can still find them in this country, around the cities of Conkram and Octam, which were both built using their power. I'll tell you more about them later, after you're rested, if you want to hear more."

"Maybe." Kiri shook his head. "This place is weird. There are so many different cultures around that it must get really confusing for the people who live here. How do they keep it all straight?"

"They don't," Fabula said bluntly. "There have been a lot of wars in which these different cultures try to eradicate each other, just out of fear of the differences between them. In Mystaria, it might be easier to live, although it's sad that there's less diversity there." She stood up. "Now get some _rest, _will you? Like I said, we're all leaving tomorrow to head to Lycanthia."

Kiri nodded; she walked off.

Rolling over, the red-haired young man scowled at the infirmary wall. He'd been left with a lot of information to process, and he doubted that he'd be able to sleep again, for fear of having another odd dream about Kumo. And without sleep, he didn't want to just lie here, or he'd be staring at the wall wondering about the ways of this strange earthly world for hours in silence. Too much heavy thinking would probably end up making his head hurt.

There was one thing, however, that had become clear to him, and that was that he must become stronger. Gaddys had been a powerful enough adversary, and Kara was at least his equal, perhaps stronger, and far cleverer. He could have no more of these post-summon collapses. If he had to continue doing battle here, he would have to be able to summon without draining his resources so badly. It could be the difference between life and death.

So in addition to training Yu, he would have to train himself as well.

Growling at himself, Kiri sat up, shaking his head. This wasn't going to get him anywhere. Carefully swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he stood up. He was still wearing his clothes, including the little Keyblade pendant Sora had given him; his Maken and Mist belt lay on a nearby chair. Though it felt uncomfortable to leave them there, Kiri knew that no one in the Comodeen was going to steal them.

…Except maybe Fungo, but if that happened, Kiri could always chase him down and belt him for it.

Wandering out into the open, Kiri almost immediately ran into Cid.

"Oh… hey."

"Good morning! I'm glad to see you're up," the dark-skinned blonde said jovially, clapping Kiri on the shoulder. "I bet you're hungry. Want to come to the mess hall with me to get something to eat?"

Kiri smiled slowly. "I'd like that."

---

"So what was that thing you were driving in the attack before?" Kiri asked as the two young men sat down in the mess hall with full plates. "I've never seen anything like it."

Cid grinned widely, mischief in his eyes. "Did you like it? She's a new model of hovercraft that I developed here—her name's _Henrietta. _Unlike most hovercrafts, which use the power of Soil or have fossil fuel-based energy sources—both very costly, and so slow to regenerate that they might as well be nonrenewable—she runs on a combination of solar power when the weather allows and Mist power!"

Kiri's eyebrows went up. _"Really? _But our people almost never leave Mystaria, and even you were shocked to hear that it really existed. How did you get Mist to fuel your machine?"

Cid's smile broadened. "I was _hoping _you'd ask that." Sensing an impending lecture, Kiri sighed inwardly and braced himself for the barrage. "See, though there hasn't been proof of the existence of Mystaria up until now, traces of the Mist your people use as an energy source have still been wafting down from the clouds for generations. There are Mist phosphos, as scientists called them, everywhere in our atmosphere—not so thick that you can see it, but it's there. Historians have been trying to use it to prove that your people didn't really go extinct after the war for _years _now. The phosphos are also why combustion engines have so much power in today's society. Anyway, _Henrietta's _engines take those particles and use a low-energy electric generator to release the energy within them with a fanlike device. It's a groundbreaking system, even if I do say so myself. If this can be used for most machinery after the Heartless problem can be solved, it could mean the end of fuel wars! I mean, _think _about it! We'll be getting energy from the _air itself, _and because it's a biologically generated substance, the Mist phosphos will be continually replenishing itself! I mean, the Mystarians sure aren't going anywhere soon—so why not?"

As little that Kiri knew about machinery, Cid's enthusiasm was contagious, and he couldn't help smiling at the enthralled mechanic. "Sounds like you've really got it made, then, haven't you?"

"Oh, give it a break," a dry voice said from behind the two of them. Kiri looked up; Miles was standing there with one hand on her hip and the other beneath a steaming bowl of what seemed like homestyle ramen. "You're boring him with your technobabble, and _I _wish you would give it a rest too." To the sword-summoner, the young woman commented, "You shouldn't let him walk all over you like this. Cid doesn't know how to shut up when it comes to his obsessions. He's going to start on his WON-derful Henrietta's weapons system next, then its OS, and by the time he's finished you'll be moldering away in your grave without having left to finish your quest to do whatever it is you're doing."

Cid turned to argue with her; from behind Kiri, Aki slid into the seat beside him. "Don't mind those two. Cid's work really is incredible; he's got one of the greatest minds of our generation, probably on par with King Ansem. Miles just gets irritated when he doesn't pay attention to her."

_"Oh." _Kiri suppressed his laughter with an effort; the truth of the situation had just dawned on him. "Well, I think they'll be very happy together. Just look at them, arguing like an old married couple…"

Aki grinned. "Not so loud—they'll hear you and then we'll _really _be in for it." She pushed back her hair and rifled briefly through the heavy stack of papers she had carried with her. "Now, I may just be Cid's assistant, but I'm more of a biologist than he is, and I actually received some of the king's missing reports on the Heartless before we lost contact with the capital completely. He was doing research on them, as I'm sure you know—it extended to various observations and experiments. Cid and I used it to create a lot of Henrietta's systems; since we already have that data, we don't need these anymore. But as you're going to be fighting through the Heartless to the ones using them to terrorize this land, I think you could make a lot of use of them." She held out a thin stack of papers towards him.

Kiri blinked, taken aback. "…Thank you… what brought this on?"

Aki shook her head. "Well, Knave told us to do everything we can for you, seeing as you and your companions saved our lives. If there's anything else you need, just let us know, and we'll see it done if at all humanly possible before you leave."

Kiri was silent for a moment; then he began to smile. "Well, actually, there is _one _thing…"

---

Yu stared at the cloth-wrapped object Kiri was holding out to him with something between fear and reverence in his eyes. "This is…?"

"It's a bokken," Kiri supplied. "A wooden training sword… I asked the Comodeen if they had any spares, and they gave me this one. It's yours now, and you'll either carry it with you or with Chobi's tack at all times. I can't make any promises about my abilities as a teacher, but I'm gonna do my best. From now on, whenever you and I enter a practice circle, it's 'Madoushi-sensei', alright?"

Yu nodded enthusiastically, his eyes overbright. "Yeah! I'm gonna work so hard…!"

Ai whacked her brother between his shoulderblades, almost making him drop the wooden sword he'd just accepted. "About time, too! Haven't I _always _been saying that you need to start learning how to fight if you don't wanna be a burden to the people you're with?"

"You don't have to rub it in…" Yu sighed, headslumping.

"If that's all, then we'll need to be going now," Lisa said gently, turning to the various members of the Comodeen who had assembled to see them off. "Thank you so much for all you've done for us."

Knave saluted her, causing his troops to do the same. "No, it is we who should be thanking you. If it weren't for you, we would still be held in siege or worse. If you ever require our help in the future, then we the Comodeen will be here to supply whatever we can for you."

"Sure there isn't anything else you need before you go?" Miles prodded. "It's a hard road to Lycanthia, and we don't know if anyone's still alive there anyway…"

"Actually…" Aura began slowly, looking at her assembled companions. "Do you guys happen to have any eggs in your food stores?"

Cid, Miles, Aki, and Knave exchanged glances, nonplussed, and began to nod in scattered movements.

"Then would you mind if I used the kitchen for a last meal before we leave? I recall promising these assorted idiots omelettes before we got into this whole mess."

Ai and Yu both let out enthusiastic squeals of "YES!", echoed by the always-hungry Fungo, who was shushed into silence by an irritable-looking Knave.

Aura trailed off towards the mess tents, followed by the children and the Comodeen. Kaze and Lisa meandered after them at length, with the healer's hand on the gun-summoner's arm and the tall brunet leaning down to listen to her latest inquiry after his health.

Kiri stood watching them for a while, with Fabula next to him.

"We've managed to survive somehow this time, too," he said softly.

"I suppose we just have to _keep _surviving, then," Fabula replied. "Keep surviving, until we find a safe place for the children, rescue Kumo, and find out just what in the hell is happening to this world."

"I have a feeling that's gonna be easier said than done."

"HEY!" Both of them looked up, startled. Aura was standing at the mess tent, holding the flap open with her usual angry scowl. "I offered to make you FOOD! Are you coming or not?"

Fabula laughed. "Of course I am—I wouldn't miss an exhibition of _your _cooking for the world." Without a look back at Kiri, she dashed off to join the disgruntled would-be chef.

Kiri watched her for a moment with a half-smile, wondering if what was so obvious to him had even begun to occur to her yet.

He supposed not.

"MADOUSHI! Are you going to get your lame ass in here, or are you going to starve?"

"Keep your clothes on, I'm coming," Kiri snapped back, rolling his eyes and starting to go. Even though Aura was making this, he was going to enjoy it. After all, it would probably be the last decent meal he got to eat for a while.

:TBC:


	14. Interlude: The Dreamlords

Kokoro no Hanashi

INTERLUDE

:Naze Nani:

**Recent Updates: **As you may have noticed, yes, I am finally updating again. Those of you still reading would do well to alert the populace so that I can keep getting reviews; the poor button is practically starving. You can thank Stephen King's Dark Tower series and Scott Westerfeld's Midnighters books for getting me back on track (if you haven't read them yet and ever have the chance, do—they're kewl :3).

**Kingdom Hearts 2: **Yes, it is out and yes, I am hyped. My wonderful friend with the PS2 is going to get it over Spring Break, during which I will probably temporarily move over to her place in order to watch/help her play it. XD Come on, as if I would miss out on something so monumental to the future of this fanfic! Though, Sora's new mature… hotness… and Kairi's long hair are going to take some getting used to. I don't even wanna know what they did with Riku. (twitches) But it looks like it's going to be such an awesome game, with the inclusion of Tron, Lion King, Disney Castle as a playable area, the Underworld (AURON! Squee), Steamboat Willie, etc. etc. And as apparently other FF characters such as Yuna are going to be around and Ansem's supposedly returning (as a good guy now, maybe?), it'll be a lot of fun to mess around with. n.n;; Yays.

To those of you who are wondering, Roxas and Namine probably won't appear in Kokoro no Hanashi or Hikari no Hanashi for some time, though if they do they will be important to the plot. And… stuff.

Okay, that was just a random fangirl bout of plugging, so ignore it if the KH2 babble is too much.

**Silvershipping: **The third pairing of this fanfic finally has a name. And yes, that is the only clue you are going to get for a long, long time.

**Next story arc: **The next section of the story is going to be a very important one to the plot, revealing a little more about the guys in charge of the Heartless' intentions. It's going to star Lou, as well as a few Golden Sun characters who figured in that series' second game. Kaze will play a more important role there, as well, which should keep his fans happy.

I can't believe this thing is taking so long to write. I still have… nineteen more significant events before we get to the final section of the story. And there are so many chapters already… (dizzy)

But still, that's seven done. Go, me.

You can look for thlot plickening soon, as well as some interesting twists to the story and a few seemingly bizarre inclusions (PotO, anyone?). We'll be coming back to the camp of Forlorn Hope—and yes, the Comodeen too—soon enough, so you'll be seeing Sora, Riku, and Kairi again along with Cid and company.

Oh, and not to mention a certain reappearance that will probably make you all very mad at me…

**Aki: **A lot of you probably didn't recognize her. She's the main character from the FF movie released a few years ago, Spirits Within.

**Fushigi Yuugi: **No, I have not been sneaking in people from it. I've never even read it. (Unfortunately for me, I guess.) The next non-FF people to show up will be the residents of Lycanthia; after that the next new people will be from… (train roars by, blocking out all sound)

Whoops. Oh well, those trains surely are convenient things, aren't they?

(dodges bricks thrown by angry readers)

I know, I know. Sheesh.

**FF:U After: **By some miracle, my friend (yes the one with the PS2) got me a copy as a Christmas gift. It's mostly text, though there is a really nice complete episode guide to the series included with great screenshots. Because the story is illustrated, I scanned each of the pictures and have them up on my Photobucket account; if you want to see them, go there and do a search for "feralphoenix". You'll find them, as well as some of my own fanart, under the FF:U section.

They have some nice pictures of Dolwa there. Which reminds me, I still need to translate his business card…

I also have scanned the two-page omake on the FF:U card game, which is highly amusing largely because of Lou's untimely Kaze glomming. Heh.

If I ever get the chance to translate it, you people will be the first to know.

**Clear: **YES, Kitsune-chan, he will be appearing eventually, so stop begging in your reviews and actually comment about the story content.

**Aura: **She certainly is a bitchy little thing, isn't she? As far as Kiri is concerned, I'm pretty sure she's not going to get any nicer. But her coldness and her bad temper sure are fun to play around with. Bwahahahaha…

There is, however, a reason she's like this.

Why?

Well, you'll just have to find out when I explain it.

There's a reason for almost EVERYTHING in this story. Start analyzing now.

I am such an evil little author.

**Windaria: **The whole story behind Kaze, Aura, and their escape is not going to be revealed for a while, sorry. Nor will that of the war between Windaria and Mystaria, which is also quite important. But take comfort in the fact that it will be explained within Kokoro no Hanashi. You would feel awful if it had to wait 'till Hikari no Hanashi or Saigo no Hanashi, wouldn't you?

**Saigo no Hanashi: **Whoops. I have such a big mouth. Yes, there is going to be a Saigo no Hanashi. I'm sure of that much and a few details concerning it, nothing more.

KH2 really needs to hurry up and come out already. Yep.

**First Birthday: **Wow, KnH's first birthday is coming up already? Where DID the time go?

I'm so sorry that the updates have been so slow. Between schoolwork and writing, I'm swamped—aside from KnH, I still have a oneshot to finish for the Academy and Kumotta Sora to do. And then there's my FFTA fics, Shadowed Heart and Revenge; my Sword of Mana fic, The Twin Swords (which, now that I think about it, won't be updated until I start playing that game again… which is going to have to wait until I finish FFT and Shadow); my Lufia III fic Human For a Day; and my Riviera stuff, which includes Diary (almost done), Jugement de Ciel (half a chapter and an epilogue away from being done), and my next project in the section, The Tainted.

However, KnH will always be high priority for me.

Please be patient and be forgiving—those of you who also write know what I mean. Thanks so much for sticking with me all this time, readers.

In the meantime, why don't you go read my other stuff from media you know?

(sorry for the rampant plugging… I just can't help it :3)

**Well, I figure it's about time to reveal the background of Nallorn and Gaedrian at last. Sit down with Kiri and the party to hear their story…**

---

The Dreamlords 

"_We came from the sky. It's our mother, our sustenance, and our refuge. The sky and its patrons are the only things we will ever owe our allegiance to, and the rest of the world has never forgotten it…"_

---

Kiri felt his shoulders tighten as he glowered at the fistful of papers in his hand and curled a little tighter within his cloak.

"It's cold, isn't it?" Fabula said mildly.

"No, _really. _I never would've figured it out unless you'd enlightened me," he said flatly. "Actually, I was wondering how in the hell I'm supposed to read these so-called reports if this Ansem guy's handwriting is so damn _tiny." _He waved the leaves of paper at her. "And his liner notes are even _smaller. _We only ever stop at night and to eat, and there isn't enough light for me to really pick at it."

Fabula held out a hand, smiling. "Would you mind letting me try?"

"Be my guest." Growling, he held them out at her.

Fabula took them, held them so that some of the fire's light illuminated the pages and frowned, squinting at the handwritten text.

"Well?" Aura asked, prodding the logs of the fire with a small branch and then tossing it into the blaze. "What's it say, or can't you read it either?"

"It'd be easier in daylight," the Guide confessed. "But I can mostly make it out. These are very detailed descriptions of the four known kinds of Heartless, and the 'subspecies' within each of them." She turned one page over, pointing at a few pen sketches of Heartless near the upper left corner. "He labels his diagrams perfectly, even if his writing is so small it's hard to make out. Ansem must be quite the researcher; I haven't seen work as good as this for years. At least the capital city should be safe; if Ansem's done this much research into the Heartless then they must have very well-made defenses."

"Then why not share that information with the rest of this country?" Kiri asked sourly.

"The king and the other citizens of Ivalice, our capital, may be able to defend themselves, but I doubt they have the power to get out," Lisa said softly. "Whoever's controlling the Heartless must have realized he's a threat, and I'm willing to bet that Ivalice and the Welgaian Bastion are under heavy siege to prevent anyone from escaping."

"Lucky this much of the report made it out, then, eh?" Aura said humorlessly. She leaned back onto her bedroll and stretched, pointing her toes towards the sky. "I already know how to kill Heartless, and so do the rest of us. So I don't see the need of these things."

"Nallorn and Gaedrian, don't you _get _it?" Kiri wondered aloud, shaking his head at her. "If Heartless are researched, they can be understood—and if their weaknesses are learned you'll be able to kill them with less bullets. Besides, maybe some way to manipulate the Heartless for our own purposes will end up being uncovered by scientific findings, and we'll be able to get rid of them for good. Even _I _get that."

Aura gestured rudely at him; Ai and Yu raised their eyebrows and Kaze shook his head at his sister in a very minute gesture of annoyance and exhaustion.

"Hey, Kiri…" Ai began suddenly. "Who are Nallorn and Gaedrian, anyway? You keep talking about them, but I've never heard of them before."

Kiri looked a bit taken aback. "Well, I…" He shook his head and smiled wryly. "Why _would _I expect you to understand my references to them, anyway? You sure aren't Mystarian, and as far as I know only the Mystarians and Windarians have any real knowledge of the two of them.

"Well… I don't want you to get the wrong idea about this, so I guess I'll start at the beginning. The people of Mystaria believe in the Wind Goddess, who shares the same name as our trigger-happy friend over there." He gestured at Aura. "The name 'Aura' is actually pretty common where I live because of that; I know a priestess, a healer, and a ricetender who all have that name too. It's not considered sacrilegious like I guess it is down here, being named after a god. Instead, it's a high honor.

"…Anyway, before I get too sidetracked, we believe in the Wind Goddess, but our people have a lesser pantheon of… not exactly _gods, _but guardian spirits we call upon if it's not an important enough issue to bother the Goddess with, or if we want something specialized. Most of the time, it's discouraged to call upon our god for anything less than an emergency anyway.

"…So… Nallorn and Gaedrian are two of our guardian spirits, and they're usually the ones who get referenced first and most often… and for our curses. They're brothers, and they're both spirits of sleep. Unless I'm quite mistaken, they're also seen as patrons of Windaria as well as our own people. The legends say that they created both races."

"Will you tell us the story?" Yu asked, sitting up, an intrigued expression on his face.

"Well… I don't really…" Kiri tried to demur.

"Come on, _please?" _Ai pouted.

"I'm not much of a storyteller…"

"Why not?" Lisa interrupted, smiling. "I think that we all need something to take our minds off where we are right now, don't you?"

Kiri shrugged, embarrassed. "Well… alright, if you insist. But I'm _really _not the best at this kind of thing, so bear with me…"

He closed his eyes, rocked back, and began to smile slowly. The next time he looked at his companions, he seemed to have changed in some small but perceivable way, almost as though the weight of the story had stripped away a good part of his usual irritable personality…

At length, he began to speak.

"This is the tale as it was told to me…"

---

_After the slow evolution of the world, the Wind Goddess came to realize that there was a life and spirit present in more than just the living creatures that traversed the world. This spirit, known as Kigen or the sacred life, possessed a higher consciousness than the petty humans and instinct-ruled animals of the world, and watched with an eye that loved but judged the world as it was. Amazed at finding such similar creatures to herself, the Wind Goddess used her power to give individual shape and form to the different aspects of this spirit of Kigen, and these became the kami and the lesser spirits._

_While most of these spirits possessed elemental form, two of them took the shape of young humans, though their wisdom and the powers they had set them apart from the races they resembled. These two spirits were special, and as they walked through the world to learn of the ways of life and themselves, they were given a name…_

_They were known to the humans they traveled amongst as Nallorn and Gaedrian._

_Twin brothers, they stand almost exactly alike, with bone-white hair and sigils in blue inscribed upon their bodies. Of like forms, they can be easily differentiated by voice or eye color; their hearts, while often in accord, have their own courses and methods that hold them apart._

_Gaedrian became a protector of the people he traveled amongst, and with his powers sent to their minds and hearts images of beauty in their sleep. These became known to the human races as dreams, which Gaedrian granted to all in their splendor or squalor. His eyes were a perfect blue from gazing so long into the sky, which he loved for its freedom despite whatever humanity did on the ground._

_Nallorn, the grimmer of the two, had no love of humanity, though he grew to respect it. Seeing the grave misunderstandings humankind had concerning the surrounding world, he sought to teach them what they needed to learn to become a better species, and his methods were none too gentle. Within the sleep of those he observed, he would send dreams of pain and fear and hard lessons that became known as nightmares and were long the subject of frightened human mythology. He wandered cold and hazel-eyed through the forests, making them a place which the humans would hold in terror for years to come._

_Immortals both, these spirits who traveled through the human lands came to know the pain of yearning for something they in their timelessness could call their own. Each brother in his secret heart desired a people, a place he could say was his and his alone. And so with their powers, they did just that._

_Gaedrian breathed life into the sky and clouds he so loved, molding them into human forms and granting them the powers of the air and the ability to commune with the higher powers of their world. These highly spiritual people, separate from the other races of humanity, became the independent nation of Mystaria._

_Nallorn gathered the earth and the pine and the herbs and mosses that grew low within the ground and the musk of morning air and spun them into sentient life. To this new race he gave his dark knowledge of the earth and its metals, and the way to make pacts with the great elemental spirits of the world if they would only pay the cost. This race, which advanced technologically far beyond most others, became the independent nation of Windaria._

_The Wind Goddess looked upon their doings, and was pleased._

_Nallorn and Gaedrian had always disagreed about their separate ways of helping humankind as a whole. Over the years, their arguments around it became fiercer yet, until finally, they openly accused each other of doing nothing but causing humanity grief. Nallorn stated that Gaedrian promised a sweet fantasy in his visions that could never be fulfilled, bringing humans to misery, while Gaedrian told Nallorn that he tormented people with his dark prophecies instead of teaching them anything. The ugliness of hatred flowered between them, and the brothers went to war._

_Although that war and the dark deeds between them is another story, their conflict brought their peoples, already deeply embittered, to raise arms against one another as well until the Goddess herself descended from the heavens and commanded that the conflict be brought to an end. Their war had shaken the very foundations of their world, endangering the sacred tree said to support the life of everything in the universe._

_"You must learn," she beseeched the combatants, "to forgive each other your differences, and find a way to love despite them. Only then can this world be truly free."_

_And while peace was finally established so that the tree and the mortal lives it guarded could be saved, conflict would come to rise again between Nallorn and Gaedrian, between Mystaria and Windaria…_

---

Kiri fell silent, then shrugged off his previous formality and began again awkwardly. "That's it, or at least until the stories about all the wars start coming. Even though Gaedrian is said to have created us, we also remember to credit Nallorn for teaching us through our nightmares. They say that you can learn a lot from your bad dreams even if you don't really believe in our patron gods; that you never have any without there being some kind of reason."

The twins were silent for a while.

"Do people really believe that in Mystaria?" Ai didn't sound doubtful, only curious.

Before Kiri could answer, Aura cut in. "Of course not. No one really believes that much in religion aside from priests these days. It's just an excuse for people to party, gorge themselves, get drunk or high and get laid on festival days."

Kiri glared at her. "I may not be the most orthodox believer in Mystaria, but even _I _believe there's a god in this world. There's too much happening in this world that can't be coincidence for there not to be some greater purpose behind everything."

Aura snorted. "If that's true, than what reason is there for your precious Kumo to have lost his heart and your city's defenses to have been breached by the Heartless?"

Kiri fell silent, his face going ashen. Fabula gave Aura a warning look, and the younger woman shrugged irritably and said no more on the matter.

However, Kiri's lips tightened into a grim line, and he shook his head, unwilling to let it go without one last remark.

"I _know _there's a reason. There has to be."

:TBC:


	15. Wolf and Mirror

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the Prelude

"This… is the village of Runa… or, I should probably say, what's _left _of the village of Runa…"

There was deep bitterness in Fabula's voice; Kiri could well understand where it came from.

The village that their little party had just entered—the only town in Lycanthia other than its capital, Garoh—was not just in ruins, but looked as though it had been ripped to shreds.

The homes layered around the hub of the village, its fountain and well, were built out of wood, as the villagers who had lived there probably hadn't had the money or materials to use something sturdier. Planks of the walls had been torn out, tilting askew or lying along the ground to show glimpses of the violated-looking interior rooms. Doors hung from their hinges, creaking sickly in the wind. Black bloodstains still streaked across the ground, with rusted weapons whole and broken lying in the streets. Clearly, Runa had been taken only by use of force—there were still a few bodies lying in heaps where apparently a villager had been killed before the hordes of Heartless had been able to steal their heart.

"This is horrible," Lisa said softly, clutching her staff with both hands.

"I suppose that even if we looked, we'd just find more of this instead of any survivors," Aura said with slight disgust, kicking a loose board and sending it dancing over the ground as the wind picked up. "I don't see any point in staying around here. We check the capital, and then we get the hell out of here. I've got a bad feeling about this."

"We must allow Kaze to rest before we continue," Lisa protested. "You know well that he hasn't recovered fully from summoning at the siege. If we're forced to fight somewhere along the way, it would be best that he's a little stronger…"

Aura looked to her brother to see if he had anything to say about this, but Kaze remained silent, staring out across the wastes of the demolished town. "If you say so. Healer knows best, after all. But only up to half an hour at most, alright?"

"I don't like it here," Yu murmured to his sister. "The sooner we leave, the better…"

"Don't be such a baby," Ai told him, though she too seemed disturbed by the remnants of the carnage that had taken place in the deserted village.

As Lisa got Kaze to sit down against one of the less-destroyed wooden houses and Aura went off to look around the rest of the village, Kiri shook his head to clear it and turned to his new student. "Alright then, I think it's time for a swordsmanship lesson."

Yu stared up at him, baffled. "Here? _Now? _But wouldn't it be a little…?"

"As a swordsman, especially during times like these, you'll be expected to hold your own in places a lot worse than this or perish," Kiri said sternly. "It's about time you learned to disregard your surroundings and concentrate on the fight you're in."

"And he pretends as though he's bad at teaching," Fabula said mildly, smiling crookedly. Ai stifled a giggle and nodded.

"If you two will kindly shut your heads…" Kiri glared at them, then turned back to Yu, who held his wooden training sword in an uneasy ready position. "Before we spar, I want to see you work on that basic downward strike a little, now that we've got your stance down. It's still a little bit weak, and I'd like the chance to see exactly what you're doing wrong with it."

Yu nodded, sighed, and raised his sword up above his head, then swung it down with a short cry as he stepped forward. Easing his foot back to where it had started from, he raised the sword again, then continued to swing it down. It snapped tensely with a short swish of air every time.

"Okay, stop." Yu paused, looking at Kiri uncertainly. "Why've you got that sword in your hands, Yu Hayakawa? A sword as you'll know it is a tool. You will either use it to defend yourself and others or to kill, and if you're planning on doing either, you'll need to do it with conviction. Striking out in blind rage or fear makes your blows easy to dodge or block, which is why some fighters try to taunt and distract their opponents. I'll be teaching you to ignore stuff like that soon, I hope. Ground yourself and then strike. You're not aiming with your eyes or your hands, and you're certainly not striking with the sword. I want to see you working your mind and your heart just as hard. Watch me."

Slowly, Kiri drew his Maken, holding it out before him in a level line. He raised it up, then closed his eyes and held the position for a few moments as he exhaled, chasing worries and doubts from his mind.

In his heart, he held the blazing image of Kumo's face.

His yell as he struck made both Ai and Yu jump; Fabula simply watched with a pleased smile on her face. The air whistled around his blade as it swung, and the muscles of Kiri's arms quivered as the blade snapped back into that level line before him. The look on his face, the unearthly glow in his crimson eyes, was as hard and sharp as his blade itself.

"Whoa…"

"I don't expect to see you hitting like that right away, but that's what you _want _to do when you fight," Kiri informed his young student. "Now, start practicing. The more you do, the sooner you'll be able to fight effectively, even with a wooden sword like that."

Yu nodded and went back to his own striking. Kiri wondered if he was being a little hopeful, but he thought he saw a bit of strength to his student's previously uncertain blows.

Practice was called to a halt as a sharp, pained howl cut through the empty air.

Kaze and Lisa both jerked up; Fabula stood with her chakrams ready, while Kiri and the twins turned towards the source of the sound.

Something was running wildly towards them from the road to Garoh, with dark shapes in hot pursuit. The angle of the sun and the dust being kicked up prevented Kiri and the others from seeing exactly who or what was being chased, however.

"Heartless," Fabula spat. "That's enough for us to worry about right now."

Kiri squinted against the light. "But… that's some kind of animal. Why would the Heartless…?"

"Worry about reasons later," Lisa told him. "Whatever it is, it needs our help."

A sharp blast made all of them turn. Kaze had already made his way to the edge of the road and had his shotgun out, held almost boredly out before him. Despite the harshness of the sun, his shot had been perfect, destroying the Heartless he'd hit completely.

"Wow, Kaze. Looks like we can just rest easy and leave this one to you."

The mercenary did not respond, simply continuing to snipe the Heartless as the creature they had been pursing—a young-looking gray wolf with wild golden eyes—tore past him to the relative safety of the group of wanderers.

Aura ran up from the other side of the deserted village, breathing rapidly. "What's going on? I heard shots—and who's this?" she asked, pointing.

The wolf had vanished. Now, there was a young girl of about Ai and Yu's age standing within their circle. She wore a simply cut, heavily patched green dress that fell to her knees and toughened leather arm- and legwarmers, but no shoes. Her hair was thick, silver, and short except for two big tufts that stood up on her head like a cat's ears. Her eyes were candid yellow, and her still-rounded cheeks bore strange, salmon-pink marks that looked to Kiri like some of the simple runes that guardian children of his race were first taught to make.

The girl turned to Aura with an amiable smile. "I'm Lou Lupus," she proclaimed. "Thanks for helping me there—I really didn't know how I was going to get rid of those Heartless by myself!"

---

"So, Lou—you're from Garoh, aren't you?"

"That's right," the young girl replied. Along with their new acquaintance, the party had decided to continue onwards towards the small country's capital now that they knew that there were still people left. "We still have our crops and most of our livestock behind the city walls, but our people try to send some groups of hunters out to get wild meat. I got separated from the others, and then those Heartless showed up—they would've caught me eventually if I hadn't run into you guys." She darted a sidelong glance at Kaze, blushing. "Thank you so much."

"It's not a problem, really," Kiri said with a shrug. "We were traveling to Garoh anyway, and now that we've got you with us we might even be able to get there faster, since you know the way better than we do."

"We've been looking for a safe place to keep these children," Lisa explained. "You see, Lou-chan, Ai and Yu are the children of the Hayakawa ambassadors of the neighboring kingdom…"

"Well, this is a nice change," Ai commented to her brother in an undertone. "Finally, we get to travel with somebody _our _age that we can actually relate to."

Yu didn't seem to be listening. Instead, he was staring at Lou with an almost bewildered expression. "She's… really cute…" he said at last.

Ai glared at him, then waved a hand in front of his face. "Uh, earth to Yu? Have you been paying attention to a single word I've said so far?"

The brown-haired boy kept staring at Lou with a dazed expression. "Yeah… really cute…" he said in the same absent tone as before.

Ai made a frustrated sound and shook her head at him, throwing up her hands. "You are _hopeless," _she informed Yu, who didn't seem to take any notice at all.

Aura caught the young girl's eye and made a face, shooting an angry glare at Lisa's back. "I know the feeling," she commented in a dry tone. "If that insane woman does not stop hitting on my brother, I'm going to have to clock her soon. He's actually _responding _to her. It's completely disgusting."

Ai nodded, not seeming to show it if she was surprised at finding sympathy from such a usually irritable and impatient source.

Fabula, who'd been listening, hid a smile.

Aura glared at her as well, waiting for the Guide to fall in step with her and Ai before replying in a low, annoyed hiss. "You have _no _idea what it's like, obviously, or you wouldn't think it's funny," she growled. "Don't you have any brothers or sisters?"

Fabula shook her head. "No—I was an only child."

"Then obviously you don't understand. It's _nauseating _to watch your brother, with his half-baked masculine brain, falling all over some pretty girl whose only assets so far are in her looks."

"Don't be so hard on Lisa," Fabula chided gently. "So far she's only trying to help Kaze."

_"You _see the way she looks at him as well as _I _do," Aura grumbled.

"And what's Yu doing, going on about how 'cute' Lou is?" Ai demanded in a low tone. "They just barely met! He doesn't even know her!"

"He does seem to be starting a bit young," Fabula admitted. "If I were him, I wouldn't start 'sowing my oats', so to speak, until I was old enough to fully understand the consequences. If Yu is already chasing after girls just based on their looks, I would hate to see the state of the _rest _of the world."

Kiri, walking slightly ahead of them, shook his head slightly and decided that he was very glad not to have any sisters. He and Kumo did just fine—but then again, maybe that was just because he didn't have to share his brother with anybody else. Feeling slightly smug, he tuned the girls out.

Lisa was wrapping up her story and had progressed to introductions. "…I'm Lisa Pacifist, and I've lived with the Hayakawas for quite some time. You already know Ai and Yu. This is Kiri Madoushi—"

"Hello," the redhead broke in with a graceful salute that made Lou giggle.

"—and the two mercenaries here are Kaze Kuroki, who saved you, and his younger sister Aura Hougekiju. Our other companion is Fabula Kronos, who served as the Guide to Kiri's brother, Kumo."

Fabula, moving ahead of Ai and Aura again, nodded to the Lycanthian girl with a smile. "Tell us, Lou… how have Garoh's defenses been faring under the Heartless attacks?"

To almost everyone's surprise, Lou grinned. "Oh, we don't have anything to worry about from _them," _she said, waving a hand easily. "Ever since what happened to Runa, the guard on our city walls has been so strong that not even a Darkside could get through if it wanted to! We've been perfectly fine, although meat rationing has been set up just in case we can't get hunters outside. No matter what happens out here, we'll be fine as long as our wall holds, and we defend it as fiercely as we can!"

"Then it sounds like Garoh is just the kind of place we've been looking for," Lisa said with a sigh. "The children and I can finally settle down, and…" Her voice trailed off suddenly.

"That's right," Kiri said softly. "Fabula and I might rest for a little while there, but eventually the two of us are going to have to leave. I still haven't found Kumo's heart yet, and I can't stop until I have."

Aura looked from her brother to Fabula and shrugged. "Well, I don't really know yet, but I think I might as well go with you guys. Just two of you against all those Heartless isn't going to work out very well, and besides, you're going to need me anyways."

"I, as well… will accompany you," Kaze told them, attracting quite a few stares, as he hadn't spoken for quite some time. "If I am needed."

"You might wanna give things a while, though," Aura replied, looking shrewd. "You haven't recovered yet from having to summon, and I don't want you running around doing God alone knows what until you start showing solid improvement."

"…………" Kaze didn't reply, but Kiri saw him flick his eyes upwards and shook his head sympathetically as silence fell over their group.

"Ah, hey…" Lou tried, looking from face to face. "Why are you all so gloomy, everyone? It'll be a while before you have to leave, and… there's nothing keeping you from coming back even after you do! Even in times like these, no 'goodbye' has to mean goodbye _forever!"_

Lisa looked down at the girl and smiled. "You're right, of course."

---

Lou led the small party unerringly to her home city, and walked straight up to its front gates, calling up to the guardsmen in the turrets.

"Hey, everybody! It's me—I'm back! Open the gates!"

The men and women stared for a few moments before sending a few of their number down to unbolt the heavy, steel-reinforced hardwood doors. Dashing out, they surrounded Lou, paying only scant attention to the others. Each, Kiri noted, had shiny, burnished steel plates fastened over their clothes at the chest and shoulders, as well as metal armbands and greaves. None seemed to be armed, though judging by Lou's appearance when they'd first met, they wouldn't need weapons—they could just transform into their animal shapes and fight the Heartless like that.

"Princess Shinko! Thank the heavens that you're alright!"

As one, Kiri and his companions stared at Lou in disbelief. _"Princess?"_

Lou slapped her palm to her face and groaned. "Come on, guys… do you really have to treat me like that in front of strangers? It's bad enough that you usually do, but come on, it's so embarrassing…" Red-faced, she turned to the party and shook her head helplessly. "Maybe I should've told you before. I'm Lou Lupus to the people who know me, but my formal title is Shinko XVII."

"And the crown princess of our realm," one of the soldiers put it in.

"Only when I can't avoid it," Lou shot back, even redder than before. "See, the reason I didn't tell you all is… oh, I don't know. Most people make too much of a fuss over my being a princess, and… I hate it when nobody ever treats me normally. Please, please don't stop looking at me like a _real _person now…"

Lou dropped her head and stared at her feet, looking so dejected that Kiri couldn't help but be reminded of how Kumo, as a young child, had taken the same pose while expecting punishment for some insignificant offense. Smiling crookedly, he laid a hand on Lou's head and fluffed up her hair. Blinking, she looked up at him, wide-eyed and as cute as only young girls (and Kumo) could manage to be.

"Don't worry, I won't hold it against you," he told her. "Not many people enjoy having to be in a position of power that they're born into. And I liked you anyway; how would that change by me learning something new about you?"

"Really?" Lou asked, forlorn but hopeful even so.

"Of course!" Yu said ardently, flame-faced but so serious that Kiri had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. "You're you, and it doesn't matter what you are because you still are _you. _I'd look at you the same way if you were even a Heartless, now that I'm starting to get to know you."

"We _all _feel that way," Ai put in. "I don't see how this changes anything. Besides… we're the children of a noble family too, so we know how that feels." She put out a hand. "Still friends?"

Lou's face broke into a bright smile as she took it. "Oh, we're gonna be _great _friends, I can just _feel _it!"

One of the soldiers cleared his throat. "Princess," he said with a slight tone of reproach. "Your grandfather will want to see these travelers right away. And you should let him know that you're alright, as well. He has worried deeply about you, and it would be best for everyone that his fears be eased."

---

"My grandfather is the ruler of Garoh," Lou told the party as she led them along the cobbled way from the village to the modest stone keep at its center, "but he doesn't like to be called their king. Both my parents died when I was little, so he brought me up. He's a fair leader, and he's always been very kind to me and to everyone else. I'm sure he won't have any objections to letting you stay as long as you want."

Kiri stayed silent as he looked around, admiring the surroundings. Garoh was a beautiful city. As compared to the wasteland that was the rest of the earthbound world, it seemed untouched by the Heartless' ravaging touch. The townsfolk, who all shared Lou's silver hair and had lupine gold and brown eyes, walked freely about their roads between their houses and shops, talking animatedly, even cheerfully, showing almost no sign of knowing how bad it was outside their sheltered homeland. The sky was very blue from this point of the country, the grass green, the air and water pure. The livestock that Kiri could see—sheep, mostly, although he thought he glimpsed a few cows off in the distance—seemed happy and well-fed.

Truly, this would be a good place for Lisa and the twins to stay. Ai and Yu were already becoming friends with Lou, and Lisa would probably appreciate the peaceful atmosphere. It would also be a good place to rest in—and a good place to return to—over his journey to find Kumo's heart and figure out how else he could help this tormented world.

Lou let out a sudden squeal that broke Kiri out of his train of thought and dashed forward. "Grandpa!"

There was a man standing at the center of the path, walking towards them at a stately pace. He was old, but still looked strong; there was an iron circlet about his head, which held back his shoulder-length hair, which was pure white with age. He had a finely groomed mustache and short beard, and his face was lined with years and hard times, but there were creases next to his eyes that could only be laugh lines. His deep hazel eyes were kind and just; his clothes were elegant in a simple way, as well—he wore a deep green mantle over a warm brown tunic made of heavy material and looser, off-white breeches. His boots were made of leather, with patterns etched into them that Kiri couldn't distinguish. There were two rings on his right hand and one on his left; a signet on his left ring finger, a ruby set into a gold band on his right middle finger, and a scratched silver wedding band, humble and unadorned by jewels, on his right ring finger. The clasp that held his mantle closed was a howling wolf carved from some kind of fine dark wood, made with obvious care and love.

Kiri decided that he liked this man on sight.

The king of Lycanthia caught his grandchild in his hands with a glad smile and swung her around once before holding her close. "I'm glad you're safe, Lou," he told her, stroking her short hair. "I was afraid that we'd lost you."

"You might've if these people hadn't been there to save me," she admitted, snuggling close to him. "Oh, Grandpa, they've been so kind to me. Even though we've just met… I can feel something special about them." Loosing her hold on her grandfather's waist, Lou turned to smile at Kiri and the others, her eyes bright and her face flushed with happiness.

"I am the leader of these people; my name is Maha," Lou's grandfather said, inclining his head slightly to them. "On behalf of my kind and my dear granddaughter, I thank you from the bottom of my heart." Straightening up, he smiled at them, and Kiri's instant liking for him deepened. "Now, what brings you to my humble town?"

Kiri decided to be completely honest, stepped forward, and bowed low in the formal manner of his people. "My liege, we are on a journey with a twofold purpose, of which I shall tell you the details as soon as we can settle ourselves in." He straightened, then bowed his head, placing a hand to his heart. "My name is Kiri Madoushi, and I am a summoner of Mystaria. To make it brief for now, I left my realm in search of the heart of my younger brother, Kumo Makenshi, which was stolen by one of the leaders of the Heartless plaguing this land not long ago for reasons I have yet to find." Turning, he gestured to his companions. "These people have been helping me for quite some time, and each one of them is an ally to be proud of."

Lisa, seeing her cue, stepped up and curtsied. "I am Lisa Pacifist, formerly of the Hayakawa fiefdom, and these two are the children of its leaders—Ai and Yu Hayakawa. Among other things, we've come here seeking save haven for them, as the Hayakawa fief became too dangerous for them under siege of the Heartless. We have no idea if the castle has fallen or not, but we cannot return to our home, and so we have come here begging your leave to stay for as long as we must in these troubled times."

She fell silent, looking to the others.

Aura glanced at her brother with a quirked eyebrow, then sighed and stepped up to stand beside Lisa. "I am Aura Hougekiju; this is my brother Kaze Kuroki. We were hired as bodyguards to Ms. Pacifist and the children until they could find a safe place to stay." She knelt, drew both her guns, flipped them with a deft gesture of her wrists, and laid them before her, keeping her eyes to the ground. "My brother and I were the only survivors of a Heartless attack on our own homeland. Those foul creatures destroyed our entire country. As such, I am the last Gunwizard of Windaria. Kaze is the last Maganshi. We are the only remnant of our once-proud people, and the only ones capable of redeeming Windaria of its heavy sins…"

Hearing the name Windaria, Kiri started visibly, but regained himself within a matter of moments, fighting to keep his gaze even. It wasn't like he hadn't suspected, after all; he shouldn't act this badly surprised.

Fabula walked past Lisa and Aura to stand slightly closer to Garoh's ruler. "I am known as Fabula Kronos, Lord Maha; I have been traveling with Kiri to help him fulfill his goal. I am a descendant of Lufenia that was… the last of the Guides under Cruxis Angelus."

"A Guide?" Maha repeated, obviously impressed. "Evidently, there's a greater tale that I'd enjoy hearing about here."

Fabula swept him an elegant curtsy, smiling. "Of course, Lord Maha."

"Now, I think that my dear granddaughter is right—I would do well to let you stay," the leader of Lycanthia said. "There are many empty rooms in the keep; you may choose which ones you would like to stay in after we get you something with which to refresh yourselves and have a talk about the finer details of your journey so far."

---

Aura sighed as she shifted around on the cushion that had been laid in the ledge of the stone window of her room at Garoh's keep, fumbling with one of her heavier braids as she chewed her lip.

They had been staying here for three days so far, and everyone seemed to be perfectly content to relax—even Kiri, who was understandably antsy, wanting to go out and continue his quest to find his brother's lost heart. Ai and Yu seemed to be settling in well, aided by their friendship with Lou. Lisa was just happy for the peace; Kaze was taking a well-deserved rest. Fabula had spent quite some time in the libraries of the keep so far, her nose in various books. Apparently, that had been one of the ways she'd kept herself entertained in between the times she'd been called upon to Guide people, and old habits died hard.

It wasn't as though she wasn't glad for a break too; it was just…

There were too many bad memories that being in a place like this brought up…

And if she spent too much time concentrating on them, she'd never be able to get her braid fixed. The damn thing just didn't want to behave. Attempting to banish her dark thoughts, Aura sighed impatiently and shook out her hair. She wished she could do something else with it, but her hair was impossible—it was so thick that leaving it down got too hot even in fall and spring, and when she braided it, it stuck stubbornly up unless it was soaking wet. Besides, she'd always been too busy running around outside to ask her parents if there was anything else that one **could **do with hair as stubborn as hers.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Aura pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed again, willing her throat not to clutch up and ordering the suspicious prickling in her eyes to just go away. She didn't have the luxury of thinking about stuff like that now, and besides, Kaze was generating enough angst for the both of them. She didn't need to get all depressed about it.

Still, the thought of her parents brought a sharp and stabbing pain to her chest, one that wouldn't go away no matter how she tried to make it. And that kind of pain just would not, _would not _be dealt with. It seemed to like her, and hadn't dissipated even through her long journey. She'd just been too busy staying alive to really deal with it before, and she didn't want to now.

"Hair trouble, hmm?" Aura looked up, startled. Fabula was standing in the door, leaning against the frame. She was wearing a new black-and-gold dress that she'd picked up in town and high leather boots instead of her usual strap-up sandals; Aura thought vaguely that she looked nice in it. "Mind if I help?"

"Thanks," Aura said with a sigh as Fabula swung the door closed and sat down across from her. "While you're at it, you can redo the others, too. I just don't think I can get them done right."

"Sure." Neatly, Fabula reached out and undid the ties of the smaller braids that framed Aura's face. She worked in silence for a few moments, neatly weaving three small clumps of Aura's impossible hair together to reform one braid. "…Is there anything else bothering you? If you'd like to talk to me about it now, I wouldn't mind. I think… it's good sometimes to get things off our chests, to people who can understand, anyway."

Aura pressed her lips together, then nodded very slightly so that she wouldn't disrupt Fabula's work with the movement. "…Alright."

She closed her eyes and paused a moment, trying to figure out where she should begin. Patiently, Fabula continued to wind her braid, not speaking or even looking up. At last, Aura decided, took a deep breath, and started to speak.

"This place is starting to remind me of home."

"Mm-hmm?"

"I mean, it's not really like it… we have—_had—_a completely different culture… but the feeling's the same. Peaceful. No one really worrying about what could happen to them, secure in their strength, despite everything… still acting like everything's normal." Aura paused, and stared. "What on _earth _are you putting in my hair?"

Fabula didn't look up, but she smiled. "I saw these while I was out shopping… I thought of you. This seems to be as good a time as any to give them to you."

The Guide was tying a satiny black ribbon at the end of Aura's braid, right over the leather tie. It had round, off-white things at the center, which looked like bells at first glance—but as Aura stared, she realized that they were skulls, cleverly whittled from pale wood. She snorted, but couldn't help being pleased. "Cute."

"I thought you'd like them. Anyway, don't let me sidetrack you. Keep going."

"Right… well, anyway, Windaria used to be a lot like this." Aura let out another long sigh. "Maybe that was why we fell so easily… when the Heartless came that night, they totally blindsided us. The entire city was completely unprepared, and they wiped us all out."

Fabula was silent, switching to Aura's next braid.

"I was sleeping then, and I remember hearing screams and wondering what the hell was going on, if some idiot schoolboys were having a keg party… but then realizing that they were really _screaming. _They were all terrified. God, I'll never forget it. I got dressed, I grabbed my guns, I…

"Kaze and I found each other in all that chaos, somehow. We looked for our parents for a while, but it was just getting so dangerous… and there were so many Heartless, so many of them…" Aura's voice came dangerously close to breaking, but she swallowed hard and forced herself on. "There was nothing we could do, no one we could save. It was over, our people had already fallen… so we got out of there as fast as we could."

Fabula tugged the loops of the next bow to straighten them, then very seriously gathered up more of Aura's hair to braid, glancing up at her friend's face. There were no tears in Aura's eyes, but their silver had darkened, becoming as haunted as the flat cerulean of her brother's.

"I'll always wonder if we could have changed something, saved even one person, if we'd just bothered to stay and keep looking. But both of us panicked and there was nothing we could think of doing but running away." Aura sounded entirely disgusted with herself, her anger choking out her grief. "We _ran away, _ran like a couple of cowards instead of warriors of our people, like we were supposed to be."

"You did what you could," Fabula said softly. "Don't blame yourself, Aura. You and Kaze both did what you could."

"I know that intellectually," Aura replied wryly, "but emotionally, it's another matter. I hate it. Our people might have fucked up pretty badly, but none of them deserved to die like that. They were slaughtered like animals, Fabula. I can't just forget that."

"You shouldn't," Fabula told her. "There would be something wrong with you if you did."

Aura was silent as her friend fixed the last of her braids. "But I still…" She sighed, frustrated with herself. "By Father Nallorn, I just _can't…" _She let her voice trail off again and pinched the bridge of her nose again, willing the pain to go away.

Fabula laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, a surprisingly un-stifling sympathy in her eyes.

Aura slumped against the Guide, leaning her forehead against the other woman's shoulder, and took a series of long, measured breaths before she straightened up again.

"No tears?" Fabula asked kindly, very gently reaching out to touch Aura's cheek.

Aura shook her head, calmer. "I don't cry," she said simply.

---

"I've never ridden a chocobo before, even though we have a lot here," Lou told Ai and Yu as they headed back towards the town stables, where all the chocobos and horses were cared for. "It's a lot of fun!"

The three of them had been riding all over the fields for the past half hour or so on the chocobo that Ai and Yu had traveled on during their journey, the one that Yu had nicknamed Chobi. They'd spent the past days together, and were beginning to found a firm friendship that all of them enjoyed deeply.

At the moment, Lou was dressed up in her state clothes, because the presence of her people tended to force her into acting the princess she didn't like admitting that she was. She wore a fancy dress with floaty skirts that fell to her knees, in softer shades of light green and yellow. Instead of her armwarmers, she had on long white gloves that didn't seem to pick up stains no matter what she got herself into. A gold sash kept her dress from floating completely everywhere; there were a few flowers in her silver hair, as well as a moon-colored tiara with a few opals studded along the band. Tucked under her arm, she carried a delicate-looking gold scepter with still more opals at its head. Despite her clothes, Lou was still just as willing to play around as her friends, and it was a wonder that they weren't torn to shreds by now with all their happy bouncing around.

"It would be a lot _more _fun if this stupid chocobo wasn't so obsessed with my hair," Ai grumbled. Chobi was rubbing its beak against the base of her ponytail, as it had been for the past few minutes, and the red-haired girl was getting irritated. Lou hid a giggle, and Yu shrugged helplessly.

"What can I say, Sis? He just likes you."

"Just likes me, my butt."

Lou turned away quickly and attempted to stifle her laughter. Ai rolled her eyes and shoved Chobi away for what seemed like the millionth time.

"So how are your lessons with Kiri going?" Lou asked Yu, obviously anxious to change the subject before Ai's temper got the better of her.

The young brunet flushed and started slightly, as he always did when Lou spoke to him, but she didn't seem to notice. "Well, uh, I've never really done this before, so it's hard, but I really want to learn to fight. I wanna be able to pull my own weight, and besides…" He looked down and shot a sidelong glance at Lou. "Maybe there are some things that I want to protect."

Ai shook her head, stepping away from Chobi, who playfully snapped at her swinging hair. "Yu, you're being a hopeless dweeb again. Lou, tell him he's being a dweeb."

Lou, however, was nodding, her eyes shining and her cheeks flushed with excitement. "That's so romantic! Defending the people you care about is _definitely _a good reason to learn to fight. I've always known how, though, so I don't know how good I'd be at taking lessons from someone like Kiri."

Yu shook his head and smiled. "Oh, I don't know. I think Kiri's nicer than he likes to act. He hasn't yelled at me once when I mess up, even if he does get strict. You wouldn't think it, the way he always argues with Aura and Fabula, but…"

Lou sighed and stared off into the distance. "I wonder if Kaze-sama is like that too?" she wondered in a dreamy tone of voice.

Ai stared. "Uh… Kaze-_sama?"_

"Well, sure, he acts so serious and quiet all the time, and he doesn't seem to pay attention to anybody, but… oh…" She sighed wistfully. "After he saved me and all… I really think that he's just such a nice guy under all of that…" Her face was very red, and growing redder by the second as she clasped her hands together and sighed. "Kaze-sama, I know… I know you're better than everyone thinks… you saved my life, and now, from this moment, I will not rest until I've had the chance to save yours!"

"She's totally off in her own world," Ai commented, then turned to her brother. "Yu, she's as crazy as you are…"

Yu was staring at Lou with a look of mingled despair and disbelief on his face that would've been heartbreaking, if it weren't so hilarious. Ai swallowed her outburst of laughter, turned away, and grabbed Chobi's harness, dragging him back to the stables on her own.

"I have no idea why I even bother with those two," she told the chocobo, which let out a sympathizing "wark" as it followed her, stretching out its neck to try to nip at her hair again.

After stowing Chobi safely away, Ai headed back towards the keep. Seeing Aura and Fabula ahead of her, she ran to catch up with them.

"Um… what's with the bows?" she couldn't help but ask, pointing.

Aura grinned and flicked one braid back and forth. "Interesting, aren't they?"

Ai found the little skulls attached to the black satin to be more than slightly macabre, but she nodded out of politeness anyway. They certainly suited Aura—that was for sure.

"Fabula gives good presents," Aura said mildly. "How are the other midgets?"

Ai shook her head. "The fanboy and the fangirl. They're both hopeless cases, and they're starting to scare me a little bit. Everyone has romance on the brain these days but me."

Aura and Fabula both laughed at that. "Well, as long as you're avoiding them, you might as well come with us," the Guide suggested. "We're finding Kaze so that we can see how he's doing. Lisa is taking a day off from babysitting him, so it's up to us, I suppose."

_"Finally," _Aura put in. "I swear, I was going to put a bullet in her stupid flirty ass if she didn't detach herself from my idiot brother soon."

Aura sulking, Fabula lightly patting her shoulder, and Ai laughing up her sleeve, the three headed into the keep.

It was a well-furnished building, despite its rough exterior. Instead of having dirt or stone floors, a finely woven red carpet had been laid neatly and was well taken care of. The tables and chairs were all a beautifully polished dark wood, and various paintings lined the walls. Though Maha wasn't exactly a fan of overdoing his own eminence, his "throne room" was also beautifully decorated, with the chair (not a throne, just a chair, he stressed to his visitors) he sat in while deciding affairs lined with plush red cushioning.

In the corridor that led to the rooms behind this room—a hall lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors on each wall—the three girls found Kaze.

He was standing still as ever, which wasn't unusual. The strange thing was that he was staring into one of the mirrors at his own reflection with a disturbed, even horrified, look on his face.

Aura frowned. "Kaze-niisan…?"

Kaze flinched, and whirled around to stare at her.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine…" Kaze said disjointedly, running his hand through his ragged hair.

Aura gave him a dubious look, but shrugged. "We were thinking of going off to eat in town. Wanna come with us?"

Still looking disoriented, Kaze shook his head, waiting a moment to find the words to reply. "No, I'm… alright… I'll eat later…"

"Suit yourself…" Aura said slowly, her brow furrowing. "Take it easy, alright?"

Kaze nodded slowly. The three of them walked away, but not before Aura saw him glancing at the mirror again and shuddering from the corner of her eye.

"Is he really okay?" Ai asked softly.

"I don't know. He's acting damned odd, that's for sure. Maybe something's really wrong…"

"But we can't do anything unless Kaze decides to tell us what's bothering him," Fabula said gently. "He'll simply see us as intrusive if we don't."

Aura shook her head. "I don't know… something funny's going on here. …I really have a bad feeling about this…"

---

Kaze stared out the window without really seeing anything, gazing out into the empty night sky.

Aura, in the bed across from his, was dead to the world, sleeping deeply with the covers drawn right up to her eyes as she lay curled on her side.

If he was going to check, he had to do it now, while she wasn't in the condition to awaken and follow him while he did it.

Reaching for their pack of sulfur matches, Kaze held the pack in his teeth as he struck one, touching the flame to a candle in its brass holder before shaking it out. He picked it up, nudged the door open with his foot, and swept off into the darkness of the keep, gaunt and wraithlike, leaving his black cloak on his bed.

As he walked, Kaze kept his gaze fixed ahead of him, unwilling to look down at the dormant Magun on his arm. The ever-thickening streaks of darkness along its living metal frightened him worse than he would ever, _ever _admit to anyone other than himself. Lisa had told him that the darkness would keep growing as long as he kept summoning, until it had consumed his heart entirely. And yet, he would keep summoning for as long as he had to. In order to protect Aura… and in order to protect _her._

Kaze padded through the main hall of the keep as quietly as he could in his heavy boots, heading for the corridor, the one that had stopped him dead while he'd been exploring earlier in the day. What he'd seen couldn't have been real. It _couldn't _have been. And he would just have to prove it to himself, so that he'd be able to get to sleep. He needed sleep, needed it badly. Lisa, Aura, Kronos, Madoushi, even the _children _told him that he needed his sleep. To get better. Or at least, to regain as much of his former vitality as he could, with his heart so afflicted.

They all knew something was wrong. Aura in particular; she'd always been too sharp for her own good. But Kaze just couldn't find the words to tell them, nor did he want to. Having to socialize with people had always been difficult for him, with all but a select few friends. Even as an adult, he was still having trouble, but that was just the way he was. Besides, if he did tell Aura, then she would keep him from helping out entirely. While that did mean he could stay with Lisa—who was not unpleasant company at all—he'd come to realize that he truly did want to help Madoushi. The Mystarian man's heartbroken tales of his brother, a creature so perfectly pure and innocent, whom he obviously loved so deeply, had moved even him.

Even without ever meeting Kumo, Kaze knew that he would be someone worth protecting.

The stream of his thoughts halted when he realized that he'd reached the corridor.

Steadying his breathing, Kaze looked into the depths of the darkness that the candle alone couldn't light and tried not to panic. There was nothing to be afraid of. He'd been wallowing in his self-pity, in the darkness of his thoughts, too much, and he'd let his imagination run away with him… that was all.

That was _all._

Kaze stepped into the corridor and looked into the mirror.

The sight of his own reflection made him stagger backwards and almost drop the candle he was holding. Father Nallorn, it was worse even than he'd remembered.

He wasn't looking at the image of the way things should have been. Instead, as he stared into the mirror, he saw the corridor behind him and the other mirror's bounced reflection all in ruin, with cracks running along the silvery glass behind his image. The carpet was torn and bloody, streaked with filth and in disarray; there was a pervading air of disaster over the scene.

Staring unforgivingly back at him was something that was him and yet _not _him—_not _him—_not _him at the same time. The Kaze in the mirror had skin so pale it was waxy and a sunken-looking face; there was a burning, haunting, terrifying look of pure insanity in the intense stare of his cerulean eyes. His hair was darker and much more unkempt; his clothes were torn, he wore his black mantle, though it was decomposing even as it sat on his shoulders—and God, the state of his body…

The Magun was fully formed on his arm, but it was no longer its usual shade of dull gold. Instead, the metal swam Heartless black-violet, pulsing with evil, the chamber that held his black and beating heart fogged over and impossible to see into. The living flesh of his arm was gray with the corruption, as the darkness had seeped through the cords that tied directly into his veins, and parts of it had even begun to rot, showing the muscle and bone beneath, and the translucent veins and arteries sluggish with half-clotted blood.

As Kaze stared in horror, the grotesque reflection grinned at him and raised an ash-white finger to his blue-purple lips.

"This is how _you'll _be soon," it whispered hollowly, wickedly.

His mind going blank, Kaze dropped the candle, which flickered out as soon as it hit the floor, and bolted, running as quickly as his long legs could carry him, chased by the sick laughter of his twisted apparition.

Finally reaching his and Aura's room, Kaze dashed inside, slamming the door behind him so violently that his sister yelled and leaped up, glaring at him, her silver eyes flashing with her anger in the darkness.

"Kaze-niisan, what the hell is wrong with you! Some of us are trying to _sleep!"_

He didn't reply, staring ahead of him with wide, horrified eyes, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath, feeling the cold sweat on his face and shoulders.

Aura, realizing that something was amiss, stopped yelling and began to frown. "Kaze-niisan…?"

Still gripped by the surreal terror of what he had seen, Kaze remained silent.

He couldn't have answered her even if he'd wanted to.

:TBC:


	16. Pride and Anguish

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the prelude

"That's enough for today. Go on ahead—I'll be along later."

Yu nodded and mopped his forehead on his sleeve, gasping, his wooden sword slipping out of the grasp of his free hand. "But… why do you need to…?"

Kiri waved a hand at his student almost irritably. "Don't worry about it. There's stuff that I need to work on, too, and I'll be along later. You shouldn't care about it. You're all in, and your sister will chew me out if I keep you here any longer."

Yu gave Kiri a smile that was half-grimace, then tottered off. The red-haired swordsman watched him go, his hand on the hilt of his Maken. The boy was making progress, that was certain, and as far as Kiri could tell the only thing that was holding him back from achieving his full potential was the fact that he was trying way too hard.

Then again, he had lots of legitimate reasons for that.

Kiri sighed and chewed his lip. He'd been spending enough time working on training Yu—which he did find very enjoyable—that he barely had any free time left in order to work on his _own _skills, which were in dire need of improvement. If he was to keep along this journey, he would need to be able to fight at a much higher level—there could be no more of these collapses after summoning.

It was time to get back to basics.

The previous day, he'd told Lord Maha what he'd intended to do, and so the king of Lycanthia had gently suggested to his people that they stay far away from the fields Kiri was using as his practice grounds for most of the afternoon. Werewolves they might be, but Kiri was fairly sure that his methods of training would scare even them if they were close enough to watch him do it. From a distance, he knew that the sight of a summoner in practice was stunning, but he still didn't want any kinds of disruptions.

Kiri let out a low breath of Mist, just enough to lightly haze the area around him and make what he was planning to do possible.

And he drew one bottle from his belt.

"Sing with me, and help me purify this voice and heart," he intoned, closing his eyes. "Together, we shall play it! The Red Refrain of Tuning!" And he cleaved it in two on the edge of his sword, feeling the Ittouju come into being alongside him.

The graceful, serpentine dragon was several times as long as Kiri was tall, and reared in a gentle curve into the sky. Knowing why it had been called, it lowered its head almost to the ground to regard the one from whose Mist it had been born with an almost bemused look in its large and liquid eyes.

Kiri smiled and rested a hand along the underside of his Ittouju's jaw, then closed his eyes and faced forward, holding his other hand out before him.

He chose a note and sang it, focusing his energy inwards towards his Mist glands, his entire being intent on control. Very slowly, pausing only to take a short breath before continuing, Kiri let the Mist flow along with it in its base note.

As he glided slowly up and down the octaves of the scale, he filtered his Mist through its heart note as the Ittouju he'd called focused its sympathizing hum to each note he was on. Adjusting his pitch to exactly the hertz that sent vibrations through both him and the sword dragon, Kiri warmed up both his voice and his Mist, allowing himself small satisfaction as he felt the tone of the Mist grow purer around him. The simple chorale had been designed for training and had a Spartan kind of elegance, unadorned and yet beautiful. Hearing his voice and his Ittouju alone made Kiri feel almost lonesome, however; he was still so used to having at least one other person to train and harmonize with.

Because the essence of music was integral to control of one's summoning, most of the training exercises of Mystaria had something to do with music—scales, etudes, and chorales that demanded preciseness in pitch also taught preciseness and control over one's own Mist; several pattern dances had been composed entirely to music, and the exercises Kiri had learned in order to fight and summon in tandem with Kumo had been presented in the form of a difficult waltz. It still made him smile (albeit bitterly now) to remember the day Kumo had first attended a group lesson in swordsmanship; the fullness of the round sung by the students in practice had brought the ten-year-old boy to tears.

_"It's so much more beautiful than I ever could have expected," _was what Kumo had told him, very gently wiping those tears away even as fresh ones began to form. _"Oh, Niisama, I had no idea how much I would love this."_

Even now Kiri had to fight back a smile at the thought of his sweet brother's naïveté. It had been a world-shaking experience for the dear child, as up until then he had never so much as attended a public school.

But that was enough of the past—he had to focus.

The Ittouju made a soft, inquiring sound that was not quite a growl, and too soft and kind to be one of its usual cries. Kiri smiled at it, then gave in to the incessant nagging of his childish need and leaned into its smooth side, feeling the warmth beneath its hide. He lay there for a few moments, letting the comfort his Ittouju radiated seep into him and draw his anxiety away, then straightened up.

He didn't have the time to start angsting now. He needed to do this, for Kumo's sake.

Kiri stepped to face the red serpent, then held out his hands. Understanding the silent signal, the lovely creature lifted itself into the air, waiting for its master's command.

Watching it, Kiri chose his etude and began to sing, continuing to keep his hands before him and watching as the Ittouju threaded through the air, based on the patterns he was dictating to it. After a few minutes had passed and Kiri was sliding into the second repetition, he took out his Maken, very slowly letting the notes die away and controlling the creature by commands projected through the crystal that was soul-bonded directly to him, and so to it, via his Mist. It was harder to set the Maken aside and control the Ittouju purely by thought for longer than it usually took to dispatch an enemy with a summon, but Kiri doggedly kept himself at it. If he backed down due to a little exhaustion, there was no way he could possibly get stronger.

In the end, he went through the time it took to play the etude about five or six times before he decided he'd done enough and let the Ittouju come back to rest.

"Thank you," he said softly, placing his hands back on its head. The Ittouju made that strange kind sound again, then dissipated back into Mist, joining the thick red vapor that had screened the entire field but was beginning to waft away.

"Beautiful," a familiar voice behind him said appreciatively, and Kiri turned around to see Fabula sitting on a fallen log behind him. "I've heard Kumo's descriptions, of course, but I've never actually seen the real thing. You have excellent control."

"I should be able to do it for longer, but it's still good to hear that from someone who knows something about the way we train," Kiri admitted, running his hands through his hair. "Are you going to stick around or not? I need to meditate, and it'd be nice if you didn't distract me."

Fabula just shrugged. "So I'll meditate with you. It's been a while, and it's certainly peaceful enough. Aura is with Kaze; Lisa is with the children. And I happen to enjoy your company as much as I enjoy theirs."

Kiri spread his hands and half-shrugged in response, then sat down with his legs crossed carefully before him, beginning the process of emptying his mind and allowing the tight line of his spine to relax as much as he could let it without slouching. Very distantly, he heard Fabula get up, but only really noticed when he felt the warmth of her own back against his.

How had she known? It would be easier with a familiar presence behind him. He and Kumo had almost always meditated that way.

It was best not to dwell on those things, though—if he did, Kiri would lose the carefully cultivated calm he would need in order to continue working.

So Kiri shoved it into the back of his mind and concentrated intently on shaping his breathing into a count of seven, then allowed most of his muscles to relax, leaving only a brief awareness of the passing of time in his conscious mind.

His most important teacher had told him that meditation was how a swordsman could get closest to the Way through such an easy route. Back then, meditation hadn't seemed easy, but now it was like breathing, and Kiri knew in the contentment and ease of his heart that her words had been true. At times like these, if not at others, he could feel his own connection to the Way that guided his people, and was glad of it.

Kiri let half an hour ooze by him before reluctantly breaking his half-trance and standing up. Fabula continued to sit for a few moments, then looked up at him over her shoulder, wearing an expression that in a lesser mortal could've been construed as a pout.

And Kiri couldn't help it—he laughed. Meditation had put him in a good mood, as it usually did. "Oh, stop sulking—we've meditated for long enough for a training session." He stretched, enjoying the lack of tension in his body and the lovely feel of power that came from the long slow flex of muscle. "You know, it's been a long time since I've sparred with anyone hand-to-hand. Wanna?"

Fabula raised her eyebrows at him. "Alright, but I warn you, I'm rusty," she told him doubtfully.

"That's fine, so am I. And so long as I'm training, I might as well cover all the bases."

"If you say so." She stood and turned, pivoting on her left foot to strike out with her right leg at the air in a gracefully slow high kick, then looked back at Kiri.

She bowed as he did, rose as he did, and the two of them flew at each other in one fluid motion.

_Rusty, she says, _Kiri thought to himself wryly, then focused all his attention on Fabula's backhand strike so that he could slip beneath it.

The object of a practice battle between two Mystarians was always to wound without being wounded, as the delicate bodily structure of their people was not built for taking abuse and couldn't stand many powerful hits all in one sequence. Blocking was crucial and one of the first things that new students were taught if they were going to be put through drills. Kiri had gotten his fingers broken over and over again before he finally learned to do things the right way, and those lessons had stuck, applied as they'd been with so much pain.

So dodges and blocks that could so easily turn into either powerful or underhanded strikes were all that both he and Fabula seemed to be doing. They grappled, they boxed, and all the time, neither one seemed to put a foot past their own tight circle.

_She's good at this. _If this was "rusty", Kiri decided absently, then he didn't want to be facing these skills once they'd been polished.

She struck at him; he slipped to the side and caught her hand.

Her eyes flickered, diamond-hard and intense with grim determination, as she flipped his legs out from under him with a swift and vicious slide kick.

Stunned into letting go of her, Kiri windmilled for balance, and found himself sailing over her hip as she threw him to land heavily on his back with a sharp cry.

He just lay there, bewildered, breathing hard, his eyes huge with shock, numbed by disbelief. He hadn't even seen it coming—how had she managed to do that?

Fabula walked over to him and held out a hand. "Are you alright? Here—let me help you up…"

Kiri took her hand—and wrenched, sending her cartwheeling over him to land hard next to him with a highly undignified shriek, and Kiri's hand at her throat in the "kill" position.

But once she'd gotten her breath back, Fabula burst out laughing.

"Okay, okay, you got me," she managed as Kiri stared at her. "Wow, it's been _forever _since I've fallen for _that _one! I've really missed doing this—and God, I'm so out of practice." She sat up slowly and shoved her hair out of her eyes, red-faced and giggling. "I'll have to keep doing this, then… Oh, wow, breathe…"

Kiri also sat up, his motions stiff with the near-crippling pain that had just started to throb over his back, not able to hold back the low groan as he did so.

Fabula stopped laughing and frowned, watching him intently. "Kiri, are you alright?"

He didn't answer. Carefully avoiding having to meet the Guide's eyes, he stood painfully, then turned and walked away, fighting the periodic wince and the desire to limp as pure agony blasted along his spine.

"Kiri?"

He didn't look back.

---

And no matter how hard she looked, Fabula couldn't seem to find him.

She vented her frustration to Aura the next time the two of them were able to sit down together. "I wish he'd just cut it out with the disappearing act. I think I might have hurt him, and I just want to make sure he's alright."

Aura propped her chin in her hand and considered the Guide out of those arresting silvery eyes. "You hurt him, all right—but not the way you think you did. I bet he didn't expect to lose to you, and when you threw him, it was a nasty blow to his pride. He'll get over it in a while, but I don't think he likes having his ego trampled on."

Fabula made a face and sighed. "I hope you're right."

"What _I _hope is that my idiot brother will stop hiding things from me," Aura retorted. "He's been acting really strangely lately, I know, but a couple of nights ago he went out of our room when I was asleep, then he woke me up coming in. Something out there seemed to've scared the crap out of him—he was shaking and sweating, and he was white as a wraith. He tries to pretend that there's nothing wrong, but I'm not blind or stupid, no matter what he thinks. Since then he's been really twitchy, not to mention spacey—he doesn't listen to a word that anyone says, but he jumps at shadows. It's driving me crazy. And another thing—he should be recovered from summoning by now, but he isn't. There's something wrong here, and he's not telling me." She narrowed her eyes and set her shoulders. "And I don't like it."

Fabula shrugged helplessly. "Perhaps he thinks he's protecting you."

"He's the one who needs protecting, idiot that he is. And Lisa seems to know something, too, but she's not talking either—when I asked, first she just put on this totally obnoxious nervous giggle, and _then _she got uncomfortable and said that Kaze-niisan better tell me, since she wouldn't unless he thought it was alright." Her eyes blazed. "I'm going to _kill _him for confiding in that little bimbo instead of me. And then I'm going to dig him up and kill him _again _for hiding whatever's bothering him from me."

"I've never had a brother, so I don't know what to tell you," Fabula said simply, shaking her head. "But still, don't give up. This is starting to worry me. If Lisa knows something's wrong as well, then we're going to have to get it out of one of them sooner or later. If Kaze can't continue… he'll have to stay here, after all."

Aura nodded, then stood up. "Well, good luck with finding the idiot."

Fabula stood as well. "And good luck in making your brother talk. I'll see you at dinner."

Aura waved as she turned. "See you, then." But then she paused and looked over her shoulder with a mildly curious look on her face. "Oh, and… what did you do with your hair?"

Fabula stared at her for a few moments, then started to laugh. "Oh—this?" She ran a hand through the long stream of silver down her back, which was now at least a foot shorter and fell just to her knees. "I meant to just even up the ends, but I got carried away… it feels lighter this way, though. You're the first one who's noticed all day."

Aura smirked. "I guess we've all got our minds somewhere else these days. Anyway—later."

Fabula smiled after her as she went. "Later it is…"

She watched Aura walk away, then turned around and narrowed her mind to the task of finding Kiri.

---

They watched Aura stalk angrily past them for the third time without even noticing the hallway that led up to the tower where they sat.

Beside her, Kaze sighed softly, and Lou turned to him with a smile.

"Oh, it's all right, Kaze-sama. Nowadays, no one _ever _comes up here but me, so no one will think to look for you here. You can always come here when you want to be alone, Kaze-sama… always."

He didn't show any response, but she knew he was listening. She could always tell when he was listening to her, and even if he didn't show it on his face, he was one of the best listeners she'd ever known.

Lou had no idea why Kaze was avoiding his sister, but she did know that he didn't want anyone to bother him and that he was pretty obvious tucked into the corner of the castle ballroom. Wanting to help, she'd led him up to her tower, and here they'd been for the past few hours.

Finally, Kaze stood up and edged away from the oriel window, glancing around the room in what someone else might have mistaken for disinterest. "This place…"

Lou turned to him from where she sat. "It used to be my mother's private place," she told him. "She showed it to me when I was little, and when she died, she left it to me. I always come here when I don't want anyone to bother me, since it seems like no one ever notices this tower anymore. This is where I keep my treasures, and where I go when I want space to think… and the view of the moon from here is so beautiful, I love to come here at night."

Kaze continued to look around silently; Lou smiled. She knew she shouldn't have been able to judge, but she was pretty sure that he liked it up here. After all, he'd lost most of that restless, haunted edge since she'd brought him; he'd finally started to relax, and she thought that was a very good thing.

"You know, Kaze-sama…"

He turned to her, and she almost froze up, but she continued even though she could feel her cheeks starting to warm. "If there's anything bothering you… you can always tell me about it, if you want. …It's just so hard to bear problems all alone… and I won't tell a single soul if you don't want me to. I can be a good listener too, Kaze-sama…"

He stood there for a while, regarding her with that same solemn stare of his, then walked towards her. He paused for a moment, then laid his hand on her head, the look in his eyes so gentle that in any other situation, it would have made her swoon and melt into a happy little puddle on the floor. But at a time like this, even though her heart was beating so hard that it was almost all she could hear, that look sent a ribbon of ice along her spine and the backs of her arms, making her hair stand up.

They stood like that, Kaze silent and Lou completely unable to speak, for what seemed like the longest minute of the young girl's life, then Kaze turned and drifted back down the stairs to the rest of the castle.

Lou watched after him, bewildered, her heart still pounding. In that moment, she began to realize that there was something very wrong here.

After a long pause, she turned back to the soft-quilted bed on the other side of the circular room and walked over to it, shifting the pillows aside to take out what lay beneath them.

She was glad she'd had the foresight to hide it, as she would've been mortified if Kaze had caught sight of what she'd been spending her free time on for the past few days. Usually, she was a menace when it came to needle and thread, but she was still a princess, and so she was just too stubborn to give anything up without a fight.

Fight she had, managing to stick herself hundreds of times, undoing and redoing stitches over and over again, until she'd won her battle with her secret project. And it had turned out perfect.

Lou hugged the doll to her chest, sitting down on the edge of the bed. It was a substitute, and if she was honest with herself, a poor one at best, but she'd poured her heart and soul into making it, and it was serving its purpose. Looking down at its blue button eyes, she allowed herself a rueful smile. Childish it may have been, but it was still soothing to have a little plush Kaze to hold on to.

_Oh, Kaze-sama… _she thought, closing her eyes tightly against the impending tears. _I swore to myself that I would do what I could to help you… and there has to be something more I can do to ease your suffering… there just has to be…_

---

Dinner that night was a sorry affair.

Lord Maha's attempts at conversation died early, and he eventually grew tired of trying and let the long table lapse into silence. His daughter paid little attention to her food, regarding Kaze with large, worried golden eyes. Kaze himself just sat and stared at his food, oblivious to everything around him. Lisa, sitting next to him, kept flicking glances at him, but refrained from saying anything, and Aura, on Kaze's other side, ate voraciously in a kind of volatile stubbornness that only betrayed how offended she felt by the whole affair. Ai was sulking into her steak and Yu was sighing over his mashed potatoes, making wistful eyes in Lou's direction that she paid no attention to. And Fabula was treating Kiri's empty seat like an open wound.

The meal progressed in such dead silence that utensils scraping against the plates were more than loud enough to seem like gunshots, and nothing that anyone seemed to do could possibly break it.

And yet, the icy atmosphere shattered like the most fragile glass when the runner came bursting into the room.

"Lord Maha!" she cried, her breath coming in sharp, jagged blasts. "There are Heartless massing on the horizon—it looks like they're trying to raise some kind of army!"

---

Kiri sat curled up in the long, deep stone bath, letting the gentle ebb of the warm water ease the throbbing pain in his back, which felt by now as if it were just one giant bruise. He'd been in here for hours without any awareness of the time that had passed aside from the fact that the water around him was very slowly cooling off. And short of the end of the world, nothing was going to get him to leave before he was ready.

His body ached, but he could ignore that. It was the pounding shame that kept him here, that bound him in chains to this room.

_Strong. _Even now the mantra was still chasing its circle through his head. _I have to become strong._

And he wasn't yet, was he? Not when a chakram-wielding spellcaster could defeat him so _easily._

For Kumo's sake… he had to do this, and do it _right…_

The sound of his door opening broke him out of his reverie and sent ripples through the darkness of his black mood.

"Kiri?"

It was Fabula's voice. Something deep in Kiri's being growled. She had to be the absolute _last _person Kiri was willing to see.

"Kiri, I _know _you're in here."

_Not for you, I'm not. _And with that, he silently filled his lungs and slipped under the water's surface.

He could hear her voice, but not her words: Irritated, worried, and something else that he couldn't discern. It wasn't like he cared. He lay there, naked, at the tiled bottom of the stone basin, his eyes closed and his lungs locked, the tingling fire of the nagging need to breathe creeping through the tightness of his chest.

After a while, he couldn't hear her speaking any longer, but he stayed there until the need grew to be too great, and he let out that breath of air in a burst of bubbles.

And still he stayed there, letting stabs of pain flicker through his chest.

It would be so easy…

_"Niisama…" _His body jerked, but he didn't open his eyes. Because it wasn't real. It _couldn't _be real. He was wide awake and it wasn't real.

Still, he felt the weight of Kumo's body over his own, that soft wet hair against his chest, the tight clutch of his brother's arms around him.

_"Niisama, please, you mustn't give up. Not now… oh, God, not now…" _And the desperation and terror in his brother's voice hit him hard where nothing else could.

He felt the tears start.

And he jerked upwards, and gasped as his head broke the surface of the water.

Kiri opened his eyes to see his brother's insubstantial form curled tightly over his own, their faces inches apart, Kumo wearing nothing but the bright traces of tears on his cheeks and a pained smile.

Solid enough to touch, but not solid enough that Kiri couldn't see his own naked body through Kumo's. Solid enough to incite questions—but not solid enough to be real.

Still, he'd wonder if he was going crazy later. "I was being stupid, wasn't I?" he asked softly, hoarsely, as he gently touched that soft, smooth cheek.

"Niisama," Kumo whispered, and leaned in for their lips to meet.

The kiss was a fierce, reckless meld of passion and grief, thrown together in as much abandon as the tight and furious clutch of their bodies, which in any other situation would've contributed to a lot of awkwardness. But it was brief enough that it didn't matter, and Kumo pulled away, smiling through fresh tears.

"Kumo—"

"Don't give up," Kumo insisted, taking Kiri's hand and squeezing it. And he faded away as though he'd never even been there in the first place.

Kiri was silent for a few moments, then he stood, dripping, wincing a little at the stiffness of his still-achy back. He'd had enough of his bath for now.

He wouldn't wonder. Not until he had the time to sit back and ponder over it. No—he would lie on the bed instead, and dry.

And maybe, consider finding out why Fabula had come in here after all.

---

"Did you find him?"

Fabula shook her head. "No… he was in there, at least I'm fairly sure, but he didn't answer me."

Aura swore. "What a time to just sit around sulking! God, that idiot drives me up the wall sometimes!"

Maha interrupted them, placing a heavy hand on each woman's shoulders. "Still, we can hold this city with or without him. Garoh is well-defended, and our people are used to dealing with the Heartless. We'll be fine, though we'd be honored if you would join us. Your skills would probably make this battle much easier for us."

Lisa curtsied. "Of course, my lord. From the vantage point of the walls, I may not be able to use Kigenjutsu, but I _can _make good use of my light magic."

"Let us go," Kaze said simply, but all three of the girls whirled around to him with angry looks on their faces.

_"You're _not going _anywhere," _Aura snapped.

"But I—"

"But nothing," Lisa told him firmly. "Rest easy—we'll take care of this as we can."

"You'll end up summoning and hurting yourself again," Fabula chided. "Trust us to deal with this—you don't have to worry on our behalf."

"But—"

"Kaze-sama, it's okay," Lou broke in. "I don't know much about what you went through before we met… but I know you're still hurting. And it's okay to take it easy sometimes and leave the fighting to someone else."

"…"

"Lou is right," Yu said. "Sis and I have seen how much it hurts you to use the Magun. You deserve to take a break!"

"Don't worry about the Heartless," Ai added, her voice dismissive as she twanged her bowstring. "We'll kick their butts. We always have."

Lisa smiled at the children, then stepped forward to set a hand on Kaze's shoulder. "Listen to the children," she told him. "They know reason better than you'd expect. Please, take your time to recover. If you want to join Kiri and Fabula and your sister… you'll need it."

"…" Kaze gave her a slow nod, seeming almost dejected. "…All right…"

"Then the rest of us will go up on the wall wherever you want us," Aura told Maha. "Come on, let's get going."

As the remainder of their party started to troop out, Fabula tapped Yu's shoulder to get his attention. "Actually, I'd like you to come with us," she said as the brunet stared at her. "I know that Kiri was talking about wanting to have you observe a real battle analytically now that you know something about self-defense. Go down to the stables, find Chobi, and saddle him up—then find us on the walls."

Yu's face lit up; he nodded wordlessly and scampered off to get ready.

---

"Holy _crap," _Aura said with an impressed whistle as they surveyed the surrounding plains.

Even in the darkness, they could tell that the place was almost entirely blotted out by Heartless. Masses of tiny golden eyes blinked up at them all, and the various squeaking cries of the creatures created a chilling cacophony that drifted up to the watchers' ears.

"There are even more Heartless here than the ones that attacked the Comodeen," Lisa murmured, her voice caught between marvel and trepidation.

"It's all right," Lou told her, waving a hand dismissively. "We've fought more of them and still won!"

"Yu, you can see why Garoh's soldiers have the advantage here, right?" Fabula asked, turning to the young boy, who was sitting atop Chobi, watching silently.

Yu started, then squinted out at the Heartless. "Uh… is it because they can't reach us here…?" he asked hesitantly.

"That's right." Fabula smiled at him. "We have archers and javelins, and the racial magic of the Lycanthians behind us. In addition to that, we have the high ground, and as long as there are no large Heartless, direct attacks against this place are entirely futile."

Bright flashes from the back wall drew Lou's attention, and she stood up on the very edge of the wall, poised and alert as any general before the battle. "All right, everyone, get ready! Archers, mages, javelins to the fore! If you want to transform, do it now—you won't have time later!"

"That's us," Aura said with a dark smirk, twisting her revolvers in her hands, and began to slide various Soil bullets of varying shades of red, orange, and gold into them, with a black here and there.

"Hold your positions and wait for the signal to attack!" Lou yelled as Aura, Fabula, Lisa, and Ai stepped up to the edge of the wall. With that, the princess of Lycanthia stepped back down and fished in a pocket of her dress, taking out what looked like a makeup compact.

"When there's no full moon to hold our rapture," she explained as they watched her, "our people stare into each other's eyes in order to transform. As long as there's faith between them, energy is formed, and that allows us to change shapes. You can also do it on your own, with a mirror—which is useful for me, as not many people are willing to meet the eyes of their princess." And she fell silent, flipping the compact open and glaring into the glass against the lid.

A sharp chill of amazement flashed over Yu's body as ripples of fur sprouted all down the line of the castle's defenders, sharp howls and snarls following them. Lou's transformation seemed more beautiful than anyone else's in his eyes—silver slid all down her body as a tail flashed out from beneath the skirts of her dress and her face lengthened into a long muzzle. And when Yu blinked, there was a young wolf standing in Lou's place, clothed in her simple dress and wearing the simple sheaths of leather along its fore and hind legs.

"NOW!" she cried, her voice hoarser with the change, and tipped her face to the sky in a silent howl, letting loose an eerie siren's cry along with a rippling beamlike trail of energy that plowed through the Heartless on the ground in a huge furrow.

_"Awesome," _Yu whispered as the others began to send their own cries and weapons into the Heartless.

Ai sent arrow after arrow into the squirming black mass below to sharp squeals of pain, emptying her first quiver quickly, then picking up another that she'd prepared for just this kind of event. She made her shots count, and though she burned through her arrows, she never seemed to miss.

Fabula held out her hands and murmured incantations in a language that the mortal world had long forgotten, her silver hair and the new dress she had donned here billowing about her in the wind. Her voice rose to a shout, and with a sound like an explosion, a black crackling hemisphere appeared amidst the Heartless, crushing thousands of their tiny bodies. The Guide's eyes were wild and almost frightening, with their catlike pupils narrowed to sharp slits.

Aura was no less intimidating, perched like Lou on the very edge of the castle wall, fire and lightning leaping from the muzzles of her guns every time she fired. Though her face and body were honed in grim concentration, a bitter smirk twisted her lips—an expression of flat hatred for the creatures she was obliterating by the dozens.

The light emitting from the crystal atop Lisa's staff seemed comforting to Yu, but the Heartless in its beam shrieked and shriveled into black smoke. Even as the boy watched, she cried out a command, and its glare brightened, spreading over a wider area and cutting great swaths of bareness across the ground below, purged and purified by the white light alone.

_I'll be helping them do this soon. _The realization hit Yu hard in the chest, making his heart pound and sending a fluttery thrill through his body.

"This is too easy," Aura said as she paused to reload her guns. "There's got to be something more to this attack—"

Sudden shouts and a black silhouette with a heart-shaped hole in its torso rising up against the star-studded nightscape made Fabula stop to groan and listlessly punch at Aura's shoulders. "Next time, remember—from your mouth to God's ears, so be _quiet!"_

"What _is _that?" Lou gasped, clutching the stones before her with her paw-hands. "I've never seen any kind of Heartless like that before!"

"It's a Darkside," Lisa said wearily. "They're strong…"

"Damn it, do we have the strength to be able to fight one of these on top of all the Shadow Heartless down there?" Aura wondered aloud. "I don't know how much gunspells are going to do in a situation like this…"

"We won't know unless we try!" Lou cried stubbornly, leaping back up and sending another of her howling waves at the giant Heartless.

However, the bluish ripples dispersed against its body with little effect.

"Huh? No way…!"

"Damn it, now what?" Aura chewed her nail in thought for a moment. "Fabula, should we try to hit it at the same time, or…?"

"This Heartless is even more powerful than an ordinary Darkside," Lisa warned, stepping up next to them. "I can feel its strength even from here… we won't stand much chance against it on our own…"

The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps drew Yu's attention, and he yelled in surprise. "Kiri!"

His clothes and hair flapping in the wind, which was growing continually stronger, the swordsman dashed up to them, then sprang off the gap in the wall between Ai and Aura, launching himself into the air.

"Now burn to the Mist and melody of destruction…" Kiri called, a Mist bottle already between his first two fingers. "Play it! Sonata of the Scarlet Flames!"

The crimson Ittouju erupted from the shattered bottle with a triumphant roar, then swept along the Heartless-covered ground towards the Heartless, causing the little creatures to erupt into flames in its wake. When at last it collided with the Darkside that continued to draw closer by the moment, the entire thing exploded, sending its flaming remains crashing into the legions of smaller Heartless beneath it.

As Kiri slowly drifted back down to the wall, Fabula crossed her arms and gave him a wry smile. "You're late," she noted.

Kiri looked thoroughly put out. "Oh, come on! I just saved you all, didn't I? Yell at me some other time, would you?"

She laughed, then walked up to him and gave him a one-armed embrace. "Yeah, well. I'm sorry about earlier. I just wanted you to know that."

Kiri went as red as his shirt. "You don't have to apologize. I was the one acting childish about it. Really, I don't need to go off sulking every time someone hands me my behind on a nice, shiny silver platter."

"It wasn't _that _bad, you know. I told you, I'm rusty. You almost got me. You _did _get me." Grinning, she let him go and clapped him on the shoulder. "How's your back?"

"Painful," Kiri admitted with a grimace. "I'll live. I've been hurt a lot worse in practice before."

"I'll bet you have."

"Uh, Sis… what are they talking about?" Yu asked in an undertone.

"I have no clue," Ai replied flatly.

Aura snorted. "Yeah, well, I'll be sure to regale you all later. It's not every day that someone goes up and kicks Madoushi's ass, after all. Even though it should happen more often."

"You shut up," Kiri snapped. Aura laughed at him.

_"Anyway," _Fabula broke in, "now that we've resolved _that _little melodrama, maybe we should—"

An explosion cut her off midsentence, drawing the attention of everyone on the front wall.

"What the hell!"

Lou cried out, running to the other side of the wall and staring out over her beloved home. "It's the Heartless! They're getting in somehow!"

_"Shit!" _Aura ran to join her. "I _knew _this was too easy! It's that Kara bitch, I just _know _it is! This absolutely _reeks _of the underhanded kind of trick she'd try!"

Kiri dashed back to the corner of the wall, followed by the rest of their band, then to the edge of the hole in the town wall, drawing a second Mist bottle from his belt.

"All things ride on my beautiful song… and be off!" He tossed the bottle, then slashed it. "Nocturne of the Red Heat!"

This second Ittouju slashed through the waves of Heartless a few times, but it wasn't long before it, too, disappeared—and the waves of Heartless were still pouring in.

On the wall, Kiri staggered.

"Are you alright!" Lisa cried, reaching out to steady him.

Kiri took a deep breath and laid a hand to his forehead, then nodded. "Yeah… dammit… I'm just a little bit dizzy…"

Aura pointed at the Heartless below. "Couldn't you do any better than that?" she demanded shrilly.

Kiri shook his head numbly. "Nocturne is as high as I could go… I'm sorry… I've already summoned three times in twenty-four hours; I don't think I can manage another one without cracking my Maken, and that…" He shook his head again, looking helpless.

"You did what you could," Lisa soothed. Kiri gritted his teeth and slowly stood away from her, a grim look his eyes.

"I can't summon again, but I can still fight," he insisted. "I can still help these people."

"At any rate, we'd better get to work evacuating everyone we can," Fabula interrupted. "Now that the Heartless are inside, the city itself is no longer defensible. We've got to run for it."

Lou gasped, going dead white, and the others turned to her.

"Grandpa… Grandpa and Kaze-sama are still in the keep!" she wailed in a shaking voice, even as she melted back into human shape.

Kiri went rigid. _"What?"_

But Lou had already vaulted over the wall, landing with supernatural grace, and was tearing across the ground towards the stone castle that had been her home.

"Lisa, Fabula, take the kids and _get them out of here," _Aura ordered, her voice terse and frozen. "Try to get anyone else you can to get out of this place. Madoushi and I will find you—we're going after you."

"I want to come, too!" Yu cried, going ashen, but Kiri was already shaking his head.

"No—you just don't have the skill yet. Do what you can handle, and that's keeping yourself and your sister alive by escaping. Don't worry. We'll do everything we can to help Lou. Hougekiju?"

"Right." And the two of them bolted down the jagged, broken edges of the wall.

_"BE CAREFUL!" _Fabula yelled after them, but if they heard her they gave no response.

---

"Kaze-sama!"

Her blood pounding in her ears, Lou fought tooth and nail through the thick swarms of Heartless to get through the stronghold's rooms, towards where she'd heard the gunshots.

"Kaze-sama! Kaze-sama, where are you!"

He didn't respond, but she heard another shot and swerved in its direction, trying to ignore the icy chill of the Heartless' bodies against her now-furless hands and feet.

_There. _Almost weeping out of relief, she ran towards him—the tall, emaciated-looking figure firing madly at the Heartless approaching him.

"Kaze-sama!"

"You…" He turned towards her, shocked.

"Kaze-sama, we have to go! We have to get out of here!" Lou cried. "Grandpa… we have to find Grandpa and go!"

He didn't hesitate at all, but nodded swiftly, determination in his eyes. And the two of them ran for Maha's chambers.

But when they drew close to the mirror-lined hall, Kaze grew pale and ground to a halt, feeling an unearthly chill in the room around him. "Lou—"

"Don't stop now! We have to find Grandpa!" the young girl cried, and through Kaze's shock she grabbed his hand and dragged him onward.

But once they were barely into that hall of nightmares, Kaze dug his heels in, bringing Lou to a sharp halt. _"No," _he managed in a choked voice. "This place… it isn't safe…"

"What are you talking about?" Lou demanded, her eyes wide in fear for her beloved grandfather. "We have to keep going… or else…!"

But the sudden sound of something warping stopped them both dead, and Kaze felt his heart lurch, sending a swift ache all the way up his right arm.

Lou bewildered and Kaze half-frozen in dread, they slowly turned to look.

And another Kaze stepped out of the mirror.

Lou shrieked; the real Kaze lurched backwards and dragged her with him, as the apparition from the mirror followed them with a dark and insane smile.

_This isn't real, _Kaze thought blankly. _This just can't be real…_

But he could smell the rot of the mirror-Kaze's decaying arm, and the must of his shredded cloak as he lurched forward with surprising swiftness and wrenched Lou out of Kaze's grip.

Kaze, bone-white and shaking so violently that he couldn't keep his aim straight, drew his shotgun and pointed it at the impossible phantom's head.

"Let me go! Let—let—let go of me!" Lou screamed, trying to squirm away from the other Kaze's skeletal grip. The thing that had walked out of the mirror had his Magun arm against her, trapping her to his body, and had his own rusting shotgun aimed steadily.

"Oh, _God, _what _is _that thing?" came a voice from behind them.

Kaze's finger jerked on the trigger, and the gun bucked in his hand, making the shot go wild.

The mirror-Kaze smirked and shot, sending burning pain through Kaze's right shoulder.

_"Kaze-niisan!" _came Aura's shriek from the other side of the room as she watched her brother crumple to the ground.

And the mirror-Kaze holstered his gun, then whirled Lou to face him and brutally plunged his hand into her chest.

The small girl jerked and shrieked, then fell limp and silent as the nightmarish creature clutched her brightly glowing heart in his hand.

Hoisting her body over his shoulder, he glided backwards in an easy motion as both Kiri and Aura dashed forward, then stepped back into the rippling mirror from which he'd come and vanished.

And all Kaze could do was stare in horror as the tears started to fall and blood soaked the shoulder of his heavy black mantle.

:TBC:


	17. Echoes of Pain

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the prelude

It was hours before they could throw together their camp.

They'd spent the entire time running from the destruction that had claimed the small country of Lycanthia. Back within their own borders and away from the chaos of the Heartless' massed attack on Garoh, they were able to take what rest they could.

What rest they could accept, at least…

_"Damn it!"_

Kiri whirled and slammed his fist into the nearest tree trunk, shaking so violently that he could barely keep himself standing.

_"Damn it… damn it… damn it!"_

No one else said anything. No one else needed to. They all felt the same way.

Ai lay with her head and shoulders in Lisa's lap, not caring how her forlorn child's tears would make her look, clinging for comfort to the closest thing to a parent she had left. Lisa was gently rocking her where the two of them sat, which helped to disguise the fact that her shoulders shook badly. Yu refused to come near anyone, instead burying his face in Chobi the chocobo's flank.

Across from them, with her back to Kiri, Fabula sat and stared into the fire, perfectly silent tears running freely over her face. Aura, next to her, had the only dry eyes in the camp, and even she wouldn't look at anyone, sitting with her face in her hands, keeping her breathing slow and controlled.

"What good does all this do if we can't even save _one girl?" _Kiri demanded helplessly, punching the tree again, his vision starting to blur as his eyes filled with still more helplessly angry tears.

"She was _right there," _Kaze mourned, curled tightly, his bloodied cloak beside him in a heap and his injured shoulder wrapped tightly in blood-soaked bandages. "Right there, but still… I could do _nothing…"_

"We failed," Kiri said flatly, clutching at the tree he'd bruised his knuckles on and letting his hair fall into his face, sliding in a dejected slump to the ground. "God, she was just a kid… why does she have to suffer like this…? Lou-chan… and Kumo…"

Aura sighed, then stood. "We have to think about what we're going to do now," she said in a low voice, not looking at anyone.

Kiri jumped up and whirled. "What the hell do you mean!"

She glared at him. "I mean we can't just sit here moping forever! We still have our hearts. We're still alive. And we still need to find somewhere to put Ai and Yu that can actually hold up against an attack by the Heartless!"

Kiri just stared at her. "How can you talk like that! Don't you even care about what we all had to live through—what happened to Lou, and to Garoh?"

"It's _because _I care that we have to get moving," she replied, a bite to her words that made Kiri draw back. "The way you're acting, it's like we've all died. It's like you think it's over, and it's not!"

Kiri was across the camp in three strides, grabbing the front of Aura's dress and locking eyes with her, nose-to-nose, a mad, violent grief blazing in his crimson eyes. _"You—_you have the nerve to just _stand _there, and try to talk _logic, _when we've just _lost an innocent girl—"_

"And if you just thought about things _logically, _you might be able to put two and two together," Aura interrupted, her voice deadly soft. _"Think, _Madoushi. Right before that _thing _came out of the mirror, right before we had to go running after her, _who _destroyed the wall so that the Heartless could get into that city?" When Kiri didn't answer, she went on. "It was that _bitch _that did it. So that means that she and hers are the ones that planned this whole thing. And you already _know _that they're the ones who took your brother's heart. And since there's someone you can blame, you don't have to take off _my _head when I try to talk sense to you.

"Besides, don't you remember what happened at the Sephira fief before we came to find you? Fabula told me that Koryu Gaddys mentioned a search for pure hearts before you killed him. That means that whoever these people are, they're looking for something specific, and if I'm right and Lou was one of their targets, that means that they'd been planning this for a long time.

"And above and beyond that, we _know _who did this, and so not only do we know who to go after, _we know who has her heart. _And as long as we have Lisa, or at least know where she is, _that means that we can save her!"_

Aura glared at Kiri for a few more minutes, then wrenched his hand off her dress. "So don't you dare act like this when there's still something we can do! Don't give up, you hear me? Don't any of you give up!"

Kiri stood shocked, staring at her out of wide and wounded eyes, as he realized where he'd heard those words before.

"But before we can go chasing after the ones who did this to Lou, we have to find a safe place for these kids. That's our priority now. And unless we want Heartless on our asses once they've finished at Garoh, we need to get moving."

There was a moment of near-absolute silence.

Taking the time to carefully wipe the tears off her face, Fabula stood up and nodded, steadying her voice before she spoke. "Aura's right. We have to get moving. In a world like this one, there's precious little time for anyone to grieve."

---

It took a few days for them to hit the main road, and out of relief and exhaustion they set camp right there and then along its side.

There was a glum silence pervading the air as Aura blasted the firewood with an extra bullet to get it started, Ai took down and began to polish Chobi's tack, and Lisa changed Kaze's bandages.

Kiri had found some cleared space off to the side of their camp, and as it was still light out, he was taking out his pent-up frustration with his helplessness by doing the same highly challenging practice dance over and over, working himself into a fine sweat and slashing at the air until his arms and still-bruised back started to ache.

He was in the middle of the pause between finishing and restarting the dance when Yu came up to him, anger in his stance and desperation in his eyes.

"When are you going to teach me to fight with a _real _sword?"

Kiri was so surprised that he turned around and stared. _"Excuse me?"_

To his credit, Yu didn't back down. "A _real _sword! Something I can actually help fight with! Not this stupid, useless, _wooden _thing! I can learn, so stop pushing me off with all those endless drills! I want to fight! I want to be able to _help _someone next time!"

Sure, Kiri could understand where Yu was coming from. He knew exactly how much it hurt to lose someone you love.

But this was just too much.

"You want to learn to fight with a 'real sword'?" Kiri asked, his voice dangerously calm.

"Yes!" There was a mad fire in Yu's eyes. "Stop giving me such worthless things and take me seriously!"

Kiri considered the boy for a minute, then held out his Maken, hilt first. "Here," he said bluntly. "If you can handle it, then take it."

Yu hesitated, and Kiri could see suspicion starting to dawn in his eyes. Still, he couldn't back down now, and so he hesitantly reached out and put his right hand on the sword's smooth hilt.

As soon as Kiri let go of the blade, Yu gasped and almost dropped the red sword, clutching at it with both hands and trembling with the effort of keeping it off the ground. "It's h-heavy," he managed.

Kiri didn't reply, but instead went to Yu's bags and retrieved the boy's bokken, then walked back over to his student and stood about two yards away from him.

Giving the bokken an experimental swish through the air, he leveled it before him and fixed Yu with a commanding, penetrating stare. "Come at me!"

Yu just stood there, wide-eyed and uncomprehending.

"You wanted a 'real' sword, and you got one! Now that you have the power you seek, fight with it! Fight the way you want to fight! **Come at me!"**

Indecision and no small amount of panic flickered through Yu's deep umber eyes, but he pushed it back and ran towards Kiri, towing the Maken along with him and yelling as he swung it around to strike.

Except that Kiri wasn't there to be struck. He melted away from the red blade he knew so intimately, spinning in a practiced circle to avoid the blow, then snapped the bokken out in a vicious blow that slammed into Yu's side, making the boy cry out and stagger.

Yu swung again, desperate now; once again, Kiri seemed to melt through the air, taking slow dancing steps around to chop him in the small of the back.

Every time Yu tried to land a strike on his teacher, Kiri evaded him with practiced ease and dealt him another painful blow. Finally, as the boy attempted one last charge, Kiri slipped the bokken through Yu's guard, forcing the Maken out of his grasp, and thrust the blunted tip into the boy's diaphragm, slamming him to the ground, onto his back.

_"Yu!" _Ai wailed from the camp. Kiri ignored her, and held the wooden sword's tip to Yu's throat as the boy stared up at him out of huge, panicky eyes.

"In the right hands," Kiri said in a quiet but deadly tone, "a wooden sword like this one is a highly lethal weapon. If you learn enough about swordsmanship, you could successfully defend yourself with one of these, even become an assassin of the highest rank, without ever touching a bladed weapon in your life. No tool of swordsmanship or its teachings is worthless, or harmless, and you would do well to remember that.

"I'll teach you things when you're ready to learn them, and not before. When I can trust you not to trip over your own feet with something as simple as a defensive stance, and when you learn to control your emotions, I'll think about advancing you. I learned from the best, and I teach the way I learned. I'm not going to baby you like all your other teachers have. If you're not getting it, then I'll make it stick." Kiri's voice went menacing. "Don't you _dare _sass your swordsmanship master. Once you enter this circle, I'm the only god you need to worry about. I've held life and death in my hands more than once, and you shouldn't forget it.

_"Don't fuck with me, Yu Hayakawa. _You couldn't do anything to help Lou. Neither could I. You're suffering. I see it. But if you even _think _about taking it out on me ever again, I will make you regret it. If you want to change things next time, then pay better attention to your lessons, and grow strong for her sake. _Not for power's sake in itself, _do you understand? You should be able to get it without having blood on your hands first.

"I don't want to see another tantrum like this, ever again. If you're learning swordsmanship from me, you're learning it with _that." _Kiri tossed the bokken down at Yu's side. "Do I make myself clear?"

Without waiting for any response, he collected his Maken and walked away, sitting on a boulder much further down the road.

---

When Fabula went to him hours later, he was sobbing into his hands.

"Kiri…"

She sat next to him and laid a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to her, his face red, tear-stained, and heartsick.

"Some teacher I am." He coughed and swiped at his face. "I knew I'd end up doing this."

"Doing what?" she asked him, gently.

"Taking out my own bad moods on that poor kid. Dear Gaedrian, _why _can't I ever control myself when I get angry?" His eyes filled with tears again. "What if it happens again, and I snap, and I do worse?"

"You won't," Fabula asserted. "And you were well within your rights as his teacher to do that. Nothing else would've gotten through to him."

"You don't know that."

"I don't," she admitted. "But he's going to remember it."

"He's going to hate me."

Fabula stroked his back as he retreated into his hands once more. "Yu is _not _going to hate you. He's calmed down, and he already wants to apologize to you. He's worried about you."

Kiri laughed, and the bitterness of the sound grated in his throat. _"He's _going to apologize to _me." _He drew his knees up to his chest and began to rock gently back and forth. "God, I'm so fucked-up."

"Kiri…"

"This isn't Mystaria, and I don't know how students are treated down here. I should have tried to figure that out before I started trying to teach someone. For all I know you don't need to give someone that absolute respect here. I'm forcing him against the grain."

"All teachers need respect in order to make their students learn," Fabula told him. "If it had been me, I would have done the same thing, probably without a second thought. And here you are, beating yourself up about it."

"I still don't have the right to demand from him what was expected of me, just because that's what I'm used to." Kiri ceased rocking and flopped against Fabula's side, letting his tears fall into her hair. "I don't want to do to that poor kid what my first swordsmanship teacher did to _me."_

"What happened?" she asked, very gently, as she slipped her arm around his body.

"I was stupid enough to backtalk after he'd told me to do something I didn't see the point of." Kiri laughed again, and the sound was half-sob. "He broke my right arm in three places."

Fabula winced. "God, Kiri. That's horrible."

"He was a stern man and he didn't like my attitude from the first day I walked into my class. Everyone agreed that he'd been waiting to put me in my place." Kiri sighed and stubbornly tried to wipe more tears away. "He tried to keep my parents from taking me to a healer. Said he wanted me to spend the time I couldn't come to his class thinking about why I was like that."

"What a bastard. When was this?"

"I was new, and I thought I was hot stuff." Kiri paused for a while. "I'd just turned seven."

"My God. That's more than just being a bastard, that's plain abusive. You were too little to know better then."

"That's what my parents thought, too. As soon as my arm was back to normal, they got me a new teacher. She was just as strict, but she didn't beat the crap out of her students when they didn't jump on command." Kiri was silent for a while. "I still have the scars. Kohaku, the healer who took care of me, said that if I hadn't been treated I could've ended up crippled."

Fabula winced. "Ouch."

"This would also be why my dearest little brother never went to public school. Mom just about had a fit when he told her he wanted to start learning to fight." Kiri laughed again, self-mockingly. "I promised myself that if I ever had a student, things would be different. I wouldn't treat them like that."

"Yu doesn't have anything worse than bruises, Kiri. Unlike the man who hurt you as a child, you knew what you were doing. It was discipline, not abuse." She fluffed his hair affectionately. "Do you think that man would've gone off into a corner and cried himself sick after he hurt someone?"

"No." Kiri sighed and wiped his face again. "No. But that doesn't mean I won't keep feeling guilty."

"Well, if you didn't feel bad about it, you wouldn't be you," Fabula told him, smiling, and squeezed his shoulders. "So long as you understand, you didn't do something evil to Yu. We can't have you giving up on us, now, can we?"

Kiri turned to her with an odd look. "You're the third person to tell me that in about as many days," he said thickly. "I'm trying, you know."

"Aura and I—who's the other person?" she asked him mildly.

Kiri was silent. "I—oh, shit, you're going to think I'm crazy."

"It would take rather a lot to convince me of that," Fabula replied, raising her eyebrows.

He sighed and brushed his hair out of his face. "I… saw Kumo, the same day that Garoh fell."

She just looked at him, though her eyebrows went up again and stayed there.

"It was him, I _know _it was, but…" He cast about for a way to explain, for a way she would understand. "He wasn't _really _there. I know he couldn't have been there." Awkwardly, he told her about the way his brother had appeared to have a solid yet insubstantial form, and the way he'd appeared and disappeared after trying to give his brother a reason to carry on.

"And what were you doing when he appeared?"

Kiri let out one short, harsh laugh. "Entertaining melodramatic thoughts of suicide."

Fabula just looked at him. Not the incredulous or condescending look one would expect from someone hearing about a friend's darker thoughts, but instead one of worried sympathy that made Kiri feel almost ashamed of himself.

"I just—I can't seem to save anyone, no matter what I try to do," Kiri said disjointedly. "I keep failing the ones I love. I'm just not strong enough and I never will be, and it hurts."

"You only fail if you don't try," she said softly.

Kiri couldn't help it—he smiled. "That's such a Kumo thing to say."

She smiled back at him, though her eyes were sad as she did. "Well, he has a tendency of rubbing off on the people close to him." She leaned in and told him in a low voice, "You're not the only one who's been there, you know." And she folded down her left sleeve to show him an old scar over her wrist.

"Fabula…"

"Failed attempt, of which I find myself glad. If I'd died then, I would never have met you and Kumo, or any of these people." Her smile deepened, became somehow more sincere. "Being able to help you now, fighting alongside all of you like this, makes me feel alive in a way that I haven't for decades. It's worth all those years of hell, because otherwise I wouldn't understand how precious this is."

Kiri blushed, unable to say anything.

Fabula laughed and tousled his hair again. "Now, come on—let's go back to the others, and convince Yu that you don't hate him forever. Besides, we should get Lisa to take a look at your back while we're there." She stood up, took his hand, and led him back to the circle around the fire.

But before Kiri allowed himself to do more than touch Yu's shoulder in wordless apology, he made his announcement to the others.

"I know where we can try to take these two. It should still be safe, because most of the building-specific wards are still up, and the people are fighters." At the questioning looks, he sighed and closed his eyes. "We're going to Mystaria."

---

The plan was to head southeast, towards the Tower of the Heavens. Since the tiny camp of Forlorn Hope was so close—and still protected by Kiri's seal—the group decided that they would do well to stop there, at least for a while, so that they'd be able to get some solid rest and fix their bearings.

Besides, it would be a chance to see Kiri and Fabula's friends there, and find out how they were doing now that they had safe haven at last. Kiri in particular was anxious to make sure that his friends among the children—Kairi, Riku, and Sora—were alright; he would've hated himself if they'd come to any harm while he and the others had been traveling, though if they had he could have done little to help them.

Still, it would be nothing more than a short visit along the way. Not a matter of much importance. Just somewhere that the group could catch their breath after pushing their pace so insistently over their trip.

They say that the best-laid plans still go awry.

Kiri could really get to hate Murphy's Law.

---

They were only about half an hour's walk away from the camp when Aura realized that it wasn't some big thunderhead darkening the skies around the camp, but smoke.

The squeals of Heartless reached the travelers' ears once they got close enough, and that was enough to stop Kiri's heart and turn his blood to ice in his veins.

Forlorn Hope was under attack.

Without waiting to so much as talk to anyone about a plan of action, he drew his sword and crashed through the trees, stopping short at the horror before him once it was right up in his face.

What was left of the village was rapidly burning to ashes before him.

Kiri coughed; with his free hand, he drew his cape up to cover his nose and mouth. The smoke was thick and the flames were high; he couldn't see much more than the hazy outlines of burning buildings and the dark shapes of Heartless milling about beyond the fire. Still, above the crackle and pop that pervaded the air and the squeakings of the dark creatures that had brought this about, Kiri could hear frantic shouts. _Human _shouts.

At least someone was still alive.

He'd barely had the time to think those words when a small form came barreling through the smoke, throwing itself desperately towards him: Kairi, he realized with a jolt as he caught her, seized with paroxysms of coughing, her clothes dirty and slightly singed.

And Riku and Sora were right behind her.

Even as he knelt, cradling Kairi to his body, Kiri looked between the faces of the boys, who were both gasping for fresh air. "What happened here?"

"I don't really know—it was all so fast," Sora said in a rush, stifling a cough against the back of his hand. "Something managed to get into that building you protected—and then the Heartless were all over the place."

"We don't know where anyone else is," Riku continued numbly. "Or even if anybody besides us made it out in time…"

Approaching footsteps made them all look up; it was Presea, the pink-haired girl with the axe. She looked over the scene with empty eyes, then spoke, which caused Riku and Sora to stare at her incredulously.

"Are we… the only ones…?"

_"Kiri!"_

Kiri and the children of Forlorn Hope turned—Fabula and the others had arrived.

"Don't just run off like—_oh, dear God…"_

There was a long silence as they all stared into the blaze that not so long ago had been a prosperous, happy town where so many had made their lives.

"Is anyone else still alive?" Fabula asked at length.

"We don't know," Riku told her. "And with all this smoke… none of us can see…"

"I can help with that," Lisa broke in, and walked towards the flames, clasping her hands and breathing out slowly.

The air rippled; wind began to blow, breaking up the endless haze before them.

"How did you do that?" Ai asked her, wide-eyed.

Lisa started, then turned to her with an awkward smile. "Well… you've seen me use Kigenjutsu before… it sort of kind of works through the spirits in nature. All I did was stir the air a little…"

"But it's blowing all the smoke away…"

Lisa blushed and laughed a little, but before anyone could remark on her behavior, there was a crash that diverted everyone's attention.

And someone else dashed through the wall of fire towards them.

"Mu!" Sora cried, startled.

Kiri frowned at the tall blonde man before them, then remembered—he was the eldest of the pair of twins here; though he himself had never spoken to the man, he'd learned from Tidus that Mu and his twin brother Rau were from a northwestern town by the coast, Port Bellebane. He was leaning on a bloody halberd, sweating and breathing hard.

"You kids all right?" he asked between gasps for breath.

Sora nodded. "But what about everybody else?"

Mu grimaced. "…They got Terra and Felix."

Both Riku and Sora cried out; Kiri's party continued to watch silently.

"I don't know about anybody else… I was with my idiot brother, but we got separated in the fire. The last I saw, he was with Minwu and Kusanagi-san. They'd just better be alright, or else…"

"What are we gonna do now?" Riku wondered aloud, raking his silver hair back from his face. "This is the last place we had left…"

---

Lisa and the twins had decided to stay behind in order to help defend—and treat—the five surviving refugees who had come to their party for help; Kiri, Fabula, Aura, and Kaze were to investigate the still-blazing ruins of the town in order to try to find the other ten—_eight, _Kiri reminded himself, since Terra and Felix were either dead or worse, according to Mu—who had to still be out there somewhere.

Sliding his mask over his face in order to keep the smoke out, Kiri pressed forward, with the others in a line behind him.

"Damn it…" he heard Aura hiss behind him, and though he didn't reply, he thoroughly agreed.

He'd thought this place was _safe _when he'd left it. No Mystarian seal could be broken by anything weaker than the maker's will, and Kiri _knew _for a fact that he was one of the better makers of seals due to this (though he couldn't _quite _match up to the healers and guardians' abilities, which was to be expected). Who the hell could possibly have done this?

The chances of any surface-dweller being able to do this were extremely slim, and yet Kiri knew that the chances of those he knew with the power to destroy his seals helping the enemy were even slimmer. Neither his parents nor his teachers would ever associate with this evil—and Kumo, the only other, was still comatose in their homeland.

Having seen Kara and her abilities even from afar, Kiri seriously doubted that she would have the strength needed to do something like this. And his seals were specifically made so that Heartless wouldn't be able to get _near _anywhere he was protecting.

If this was the work of the one that he and his friends hadn't yet seen—Azrael Astaroth, he remembered vaguely—then they were up against a powerful foe indeed.

And building up his strength was even more vital than Kiri had feared.

A sharp yell broke Kiri's reverie; he jerked and looked up, wide-eyed, trying to stare through the heat haze towards the source of the sound.

"Where did that come from?"

"Somewhere up ahead," Fabula said, then coughed. "This damn smoke…"

"We should hurry," Aura cut in, taking her by the arm and walking her towards that shout. Kiri exchanged bemused looks with Kaze; both of them followed along behind.

The clash of weaponry reached them next; his nerves jangling, Kiri drew his sword and ran forwards, passing the girls on his way towards whatever battle lay ahead.

Surrounded by a ring of flames, desperately fending off a pair of Invisibles, was Tidus.

But before Kiri could manage to reach him, gunshots rang out, and both Heartless howled and vanished into twists of vapor. Looking over his shoulder, Kiri saw that both Kaze and Aura were standing with guns pointed and identical no-nonsense looks on their faces.

Oh, well. No heroism lost there. Checking his pace, Kiri went over to Tidus and put a hand on the man's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Tidus gave him a wan grin. "Kiri—aren't you the sight for sore eyes—" But before he could say anything else, another crash made both men jump and whirl around.

Thankfully, it wasn't Heartless this time, but rather Mu's missing brother Rau, followed by Yuna. Aside from a few light injuries, bloodstains, and the typical shock one would expect from someone in their situation, both of them seemed to be alright.

Giving a short and wordless cry, Tidus shoved his way through the still-burning wreckage and threw his arms around Yuna, holding her close. Kiri allowed himself a small smile as Fabula approached, trailing Kaze and Aura behind her.

"Your brother's been looking for you," she informed Rau, who didn't respond. "He's been worried, even if he won't say it to your face." She turned to Tidus and Yuna. "What about everyone else?"

Tidus released Yuna and ran a hand through his hair. "Cloud and Sephiroth… were buried in the first wave, covering us when we tried to escape. I didn't see what happened to them after that."

"Squall fell protecting the children…" Yuna added, subdued.

"Minwu and Motoko are both dead," Rau continued with nearly blunt finality. "Neither one of them let the Heartless take them. For them… death was preferable."

"I can understand that," Kaze said softly.

Tidus shook his head. "Still… most of them had friends and family in Ivalice, who'll probably never know now what's become of them." He sighed. "And now what do we do…? We have nothing left…"

"We should get out of here first, for one," Aura said flatly, drawing everyone's attention. "And afterwards… well, I might have an idea about that."

---

"So, what's Lukahn like?" Kairi asked, blinking up at Kiri as they walked.

"Well, the town itself isn't in very good shape, but there's an army there now that's dedicated to fighting the Heartless," Kiri explained. "They're called the Comodeen, and they're all good people. We stayed there for a little while, and you know, Aura's right—there aren't so many of you that you would be a burden to them, plus most of you know at least a little about fighting. I'm sure they'd be happy to have you."

And that was why their party, swelled by the eight survivors of the fire, was pushing its way back west, back out of the way of their initial goal. Still, it wasn't like Kiri could complain. These people deserved safety and someone who would take them in and accept their decision to fight just as well as Ai and Yu needed a place to stay until it was safe to leave again.

"Are there any other kids there?" Kairi asked, giving him a slightly suspicious look.

Kiri sighed. "Well, there's one, but he's a little… I dunno. Anyway, at least he's around your age. And there are some people there who will definitely take you seriously, and would if you were a lot younger than you are."

"Hey, Kiri."

He looked up—it was Aura. "Yeah? Have you found somewhere we can stop yet?"

The silver-haired girl shrugged one shoulder. "It's kind of in an open spot, but it's definitely better than nothing. And the kids at least are gonna need a rest by the time we get there."

Kairi gave Aura a sulky face as she came to join them.

"It's a fact of life, kiddo," Aura informed her. "You have shorter legs, and you have to work harder to keep up with the rest of us. Hell, _I _want a rest too. I've been running around all over the place to try to find a campsite. And there haven't been any Heartless around to take it out on."

"Well, to _some _of us, no Heartless is considered a _good _thing," Kiri said flatly. "I know, _blasphemy, _but this is a pretty big group and we all have different fighting styles. We'd just end up tripping over each other's feet if we tried to carry out any kind of plan like this."

"What_ever. _Man, you _males _are just impossible to bitch to," Aura complained, then looked around and headed off, presumably to find and bother either Fabula or her brother.

Kiri shrugged; Kairi giggled.

"Anyway, what do you think about these guys?" Kiri jerked a thumb towards the rest of his original party. "I know you haven't had much time to really meet them, but I _do _know that Tidus thinks you're a good judge of character. And while they _can _be rather insane and maybe haven't done the best job of presenting their better sides to all of you, I think I'm going to be with most of them for a while. So I'd like to hear your two cents."

"I like them!" Kairi exclaimed. "I think they're really nice. It's good to be able to meet more kids my own age in times like these… and Lisa-san is very kind. I know that Kaze-san doesn't like to talk, but I'm used to that—some of the people I've known in Isu were the same way." Her smile grew a little bittersweet, but she shrugged off the sorrow for another moment, something that both impressed and pained Kiri to see in someone her age. "I know you've all been through hard times… and I think it's helped you get a lot closer to each other than most people do. You should count yourself lucky for that!"

Kiri gave her a crooked smile and ruffled her hair, which made her giggle again. "I guess so…"

"So, have you gotten any closer?" Kairi asked, giving him a bright smile and an inquisitive look, all big blue eyes and charm. "To finding your brother's heart, I mean?"

Kiri sobered; his smile faded a bit. "I don't know… but I'd like to think that I have. Now that I know the ones who did that to him… maybe there's hope that I'll be able to help him, at last…"

"Hey, guys—wait a minute," he heard Aura call.

One by one, the members of their party stopped to look at her.

"I've got a strange feeling… like we're being followed…" she said, her brow furrowed as she stared back towards the road they'd traveled suspiciously.

"I can sense something, too…" Lisa agreed. "But it's too faint to tell whether it's friendly or hostile."

"Your Kigenjutsu again, hmmm?" Ai asked slowly, giving her a suspicious look.

"Sis, stop it," Yu hissed at her, tugging on her sleeve. "Lisa's just trying to be helpful, don't you see that? Don't give her such a hard time!"

"But she never tells us _anything!" _Ai sulked.

"You guys, cut it out—this is no time for arguing," Kiri told them. "If it's Heartless there, we'll have to get moving and fast—there's nothing in the terrain behind us to slow them down. We'll be in serious trouble, since we haven't stopped for a break yet today."

"And if it's that demon swordsman from before, we're finished," Tidus said quietly.

"What do you mean by 'demon swordsman'?" Kiri asked, turning to him in confusion.

"Will all of you shut up?" Aura snapped. Making faces, they did. "…Yeah. It's definitely Heartless. A _lot _of them. It seems like the ones who attacked your refugee camp finally figured out where we disappeared to."

Kiri swore. "Isn't _anything _going to go right for us today?"

Ignoring him, Aura turned to Lisa. "Hey, Pacifist. Your Kigenjutsu or whatever is supposed to be able to manipulate the spirits of nature, right? Can't you do something around here that will at least slow them down?"

Lisa blinked at her, taken off-guard. "Well, I… I don't know. I've never done anything this large-scale before, and I doubt I could alter the landscape _that _much, or that permanently…"

"Oh, that's just great." Aura put her hands on her hips. "Don't you think you should at least _try? _We're sitting ducks out here, and we haven't got any other good options."

"If she can't do it, I will."

They all turned. It was Rau, who hadn't so much as said a word since they'd left the ruins of what had once been Isu.

"What do you mean…?" Aura began, but Mu cut her off.

"Are you insane? You know as well as I do what that'll do to you! And with your health the way it is, you can't risk it—"

"We don't have a choice," Rau replied, the bitterness of old hatred seeping through his voice like smoke—or, Kiri thought to himself, like poison. "Don't you try to stop me, when _you know as well as I do _that handling a situation like this is _well _within my abilities." And just like that, he walked past the others to stand in an open stretch of the road they'd been following.

"What are you—?" Kiri started, but Rau held up a hand to silence him.

"Don't come too close, and don't distract me. This is delicate work."

"This is _insane," _Mu growled, but Rau chose to ignore him.

Kiri watched intently as Rau stood perfectly still, one hand extended, and closed his eyes.

Even if he couldn't sense the flow of power as Lisa might, he was able to feel the change in the air, and his stare intensified as the strange blonde man's hair and clothes began to stir, buoyed up as if by some kind of breeze that none of the others felt, and he saw the shimmer of energy along the ground, leading almost all the way to the blackish speck on the horizon where he knew the Heartless were still coming towards them.

A look of bitter, even pained concentration flickered over Rau's crisis-weathered face, and he tightened his hand on air.

There was a sharp cracking sound, almost like an explosion. And then it seemed as if every bit of greenery from their party to the Heartless exploded in growth—almost as Ivy Sephira's plants had after Koryu Gaddys had died, not so long ago.

It was followed by a sharp creak as bits of the earth began to jut violently upwards in jagged teeth of earth and stone, bitterly, defiantly blocking the Heartless' path.

"Is he… some kind of mage…?" Ai wondered aloud.

Lisa shook her head. "No… the energy flow is different from magic…"

"Then, is he using Kigenjutsu like you?" Yu wanted to know.

"That _can't _be it. It's completely different from Kigenjutsu… he's doing this without any contact at all with the spirits that reside in the earth and those plants. I don't understand it…"

"He's a psychic," Fabula said softly. "I haven't seen a powerful one at work for years. Instead of tapping some magic resource or the local spirit energies, he's doing all this with his mind."

"With his _mind?" _Ai and Yu both stared, fascinated. "You mean, like people who bend spoons by staring at them?"

"Well, sort of like that, yes," Fabula explained. "But on a much larger scale than that. Very few people can do something like this, and supposedly using psychic powers is much more costly than simple magic spells. Only one person in thousands of generations develops abilities as strong as this man's."

The noise slowly died away, drawing the party's attention back to Rau, who had let his hand fall and was staring almost distantly at his work. What had been a flat plain was now covered in short sharp hills, wild tangles of plants, and rocky outcroppings, and it would take quite a long time for any enemies to navigate it. With this, the party would have much more time to reach safety; perhaps the Heartless caught in the endless mire would eventually lose track of their trail, too.

But Kiri's awe changed sharply to alarm as Rau turned back to face them. His breathing was shallow and labored, his skin pale and shining with sweat, and his eyes hazed with pain. "My God—are you alright?"

"I'll be fine…" Rau slowly shook his head. "I'll rest when we make camp. But we should move on… in case this" he waved a hand at the drastically reshaped land behind him "won't hold them."

_You don't look fine, _Kiri wanted to say, but didn't. He knew better—he recognized pride and stubbornness when he saw them.

Mu, apparently, did not. "You are _not _fine, and you need rest _now! _Stupid! Didn't I _tell _you that it was going to cost you if you tried to play the hero!"

Rau's sudden glare was so filled with hatred and barely-contained violence that even Kiri half-stepped back in shock. "I _said _I'll be fine, and I _will _be fine. Keep the fuck out of it, Mu. I know how to deal with it—I've dealt with it plenty of times before."

And that was apparently the end of it. They went on, with everyone shooting worried looks in Rau's direction when they thought he wasn't going to notice them.

"Just what in the world is going on?" Kiri murmured.

"I'll explain it later," Mu replied under his breath. "You guys have the right to understand…"

---

Mu, as it turned out, had been right. Rau wasn't able to last so much as three hours.

On their way to finding a better campsite, he went down and went down hard, collapsing in the middle of the road—and nothing that anyone did could wake him up.

"Well, I guess we're staying here then," Aura said with a shrug.

As Tidus directed his followers to set up their camp, Kiri frowned as he saw Mu give a resigned sigh, then take off his own shirt and lay it across his brother's shoulders. Rau might have seemed to be sleeping deeply, if not for the fact that his breathing was even more erratic than before, and his skin nearly pure white.

So instead of joining Kairi and her friends Sora and Riku as they headed over to sit with Ai, Yu, and Presea, Kiri went over to them instead, sitting down on Rau's other side.

"Will he be alright?" he asked softly, looking from one brother to the other.

Mu shook his head. "He should be, but if he keeps pulling stunts like this…"

"Why is he like this?" Kiri ventured after a pause. "Did something happen, or…?"

"It's a long story, but it's probably going to be a while before he wakes up. Besides, by now we owe you an explanation…

"Rau and I aren't really twins, for one thing," Mu began. "And it's a little dubious whether we can really be called 'brothers'. Still, it's the closest explanation for our relationship—through the two of us are definitely blood kin.

"Kiri, have you ever heard of 'cloning'?"

Kiri shook his head, bewildered.

"It's a process that mixes science with magic that was only proved about thirty years ago, that allows people to create exact physical copies of living things. And it's still got a lot of problems to work out. Still, in our hometown, Port Bellebane, scientists and mages have been working on it for a while, and they were at it for a long time in order to make a surviving human clone.

"My father… was a very selfish man," Mu said awkwardly. "About a month after I was born, he had a disagreement with my mother, and decided to disinherit me. Because he'd heard about the development of cloning magitechnology, he went straight to the research team and decided that he wanted to contribute to their experiments by having himself cloned."

"Ah." Kiri was starting to see where this was going.

"He thought he could buy immortality if only he could create a copy of himself," Mu mused. "He was a very, very selfish and stupid man. But to be fair, no human or sentient being had ever been cloned before. So no one really understood it fully, even the scientists.

"It turns out that even if you can copy a body right down to the molecular level, you can't copy a mind, a heart, or a soul. Imagine my father's shock and disgust when he discovered that Rau was a completely separate entity from him, sharing nothing of his personality and memories. He swung back to me in a hurry, and if not for the scientists and my mother's kindness, he would've left my brother to die as a child.

"And cloning still does have problems. It turns out that something somewhere went wrong when Rau was made—for some reason no one understands, he's been aging faster than normal. And sometimes, he has spells where he's put through excruciating pain that no healer can cure…

"Besides, he has psychic power like nothing that's ever been recorded in the history of our town. Whatever it was that's been causing him so much pain must have given him his abilities, too. But…" Mu shook his head. "Lately, when he uses those powers, it's been hurting him even worse than the usual pain spells he has. As I'm sure you've noticed, he's weakened by it; sometimes he passes out, like now. And it gets worse and worse every time he does it.

"Using these powers he has is killing him, but he's too stubborn to acknowledge what it's doing to him, and one day soon it's going to be too late."

"He's a proud man," Kiri murmured, letting his gaze slide down to Rau, who was still unconscious—taking in the fine lines that weren't present on Mu's face; the streaks of white through his blonde hair. "He must hate having your sympathy when he's suffering."

Mu rolled his eyes. "We've always had what you could call a personality conflict. We just don't get along, period. Still… what with his condition nowadays, and the Heartless being around… it sort of makes me wonder what in the world I would do with myself if anything ever happened to him." There was a short silence, then Mu turned to Kiri with a curious look on his face. "You have a brother too, don't you?"

"Yeah." Kiri swallowed, and closed his eyes. "I love him more than life itself."

"You're lucky," Mu observed dryly.

"Hardly. It's because of him that I'm down here at all." So saying, Kiri related his own journey, watching the sympathetic grimace on Mu's face grow. "I'd give my life if it would get his heart back here and now…"

"You _are _lucky," Mu insisted. "Luckier than you think. There aren't that many pairs of siblings who have that kind of closeness. Most of them get on each other's nerves too often for that." He turned down to Rau, who was finally starting to ease into normal sleep, and smiled bitterly. "Like us."

"Oh, I don't know." It was Kiri's turn to smile. "The way you act, you'd be lost without each other."

---

Thankfully, they were able to make the rest of the trip without any major issues.

As Aura had predicted, the Comodeen took the group of survivors in with open arms, and seemed particularly glad to have Yuna, as a summoner, on their side. The fighters were instantly accepted into the militia's ranks (miraculously, Knave's formal yet effusive manner hadn't scared them off, nor had Miles' gruffness and Cid's technophilia); Sora, Riku, and Kairi were also promised a place to stay for as long as they needed.

Before they left Lukahn, Mu presented Kiri with a folded piece of parchment.

"If you ever go to Port Bellebane yourself, I'd like you to deliver this to a friend of Rau's and mine. Her name is Murrue Ramius; her family is all very successful merchants and nobles of the town. If you go there, you won't be able to miss her."

"Murrue Ramius," Kiri repeated as he accepted it. "I won't forget. Take care of each other."

"We will, when we're not biting each other's heads off," Mu joked.

"We'll be back when we can," Fabula promised. "After all… as long as we're here, we might as well not be strangers. As long as you keep fighting, we'll know that this is a place we can return to."

---

In comparison to the first tempestuous trip through it Kiri had made, the party's journey up the Tower of the Heavens was suspiciously uneventful. Though he kept expecting another Darkside to attack, and Aura sensed the presence of Heartless around them, they weren't even attacked once as they climbed the dangerous spiral stairway that lead to Mystaria.

Ai, Yu, and Lisa were all amazed by the barren beauty of the cloudscape; the twins and Chobi in particular spent much of their camp time bouncing around along the soft and springy clouds, making Kiri's heart ache as he remembered the way that he and Kumo had done much the same thing in their childhood. Kaze didn't say much, as usual; Aura just looked around and announced that there weren't any Heartless that she could detect, acting entirely unimpressed. However, as they camped that night, Kiri was amused to notice that she chose to snuggle into the clouds with her blanket over her rather than lying on it as she usually did.

They reached Kiri's home city the next day.

As they walked the stone streets, Lisa and the twins exclaimed over the grandeur of the architecture. Fabula explained some of Mystaria's history to them as they walked, partially to keep them out of Kiri's hair—she saw the way that he took each broken archway, each cracked stone façade as a personal blow.

The Heartless had been here, and they'd decimated his home—or at least, every part of it that wasn't protected. The fountain where—so long ago, it now seemed—Kumo had performed the ceremonial dance to renew the seals was cracked and broken, with the water still bubbling up from the pipes beneath it sliding in rivulets over the streets.

But Kiri's grief turned to shock and alarm when they came at last to the building where he'd left Kumo with their parents before he and Fabula had left.

It had been almost completely destroyed.

"But… this place was _sealed," _he said numbly, shaking his head in disbelief. "It can't _be. _Nothing can break these seals—they were laid by Nallorn and Gaedrian themselves!"

"Madoushi-dono!"

He flinched, then whirled towards the direction of the voice. It was one of his fellow citizens, _alive—_and peeking out at him from the doorway of the neighboring building, which had mercifully escaped the destruction.

"Come inside—your parents and the others are here, waiting."

Kiri called to his companions—who were investigating the ruins before them, except for Kaze, who had sat down against one shattered wall to rest—and headed towards his waiting family.

---

"Akai-kun!"

Almost before he could blink, Kiri was swept into his mother's fierce embrace. Her voice was shaking as she held him, and her hands trembled on his back.

"We thought we'd lost you."

"Mother… I'm fine," he protested. "You don't have to worry about me."

"You're my _son," _she replied almost snappishly, though she loosed her hold on him slightly. "It's my _job _to worry about you." Catching sight of the rest of his party, she turned towards them, then stiffened a little. "You brought surface-dwellers here."

Kiri sighed. "Now isn't the time to worry about that kind of thing. It's hell down there, Mother… we're trying to find a place for these children to stay until it's safe for them to go back home." He gestured towards them. "They've all helped me in my search, and thanks to them I think I'm finally getting somewhere. Lisa Pacifist, Kaze Kuroki, and Aura Hougekiju… they're all worthy allies. Worthy friends. Don't you dare refuse them just because they aren't of our race."

Madori gave him a sidelong look, but she didn't say anything.

"What happened out there, anyway?" Kiri asked, jerking a thumb in the direction of the destroyed building outside. "I didn't think that that kind of thing was possible. Was anyone hurt?"

Madori bit her lip, and shook her head. Kageshi came up next to her, sliding an arm around her waist. "Kiri… the Heartless attacked us only a few days ago, led by a summoner the likes of which we've never seen before. We had no idea what manner of beasts he was calling, let alone what to do against them. He defeated our best left easily, then broke through the shield held by your Guardian friend, Aoi Ame."

Kiri winced. "Oh, God. Is Ame okay?"

"She's recovering. We didn't have any major losses, but…"

Madori took up the thread of her husband's speech, her voice deathly quiet. "Don't you see, Kiri? Haven't you noticed yet?"

"Noticed what?" Kiri looked from his mother to his father, baffled. "What are you two talking about? You're starting to scare me…"

"This place is no longer safe as long as there's someone with that man's power," Kageshi said softly. "And for that reason, we cannot be trusted with these children, despite the fact that they would normally be safest here. What the Heartless wanted, they took—and they haven't attacked us again ever since."

"What was it?" Kiri asked, his mouth going dry. "What was it they were after?"

"I would've thought it would be the first thing you'd see." He sighed, and looked into his son's eyes, pain and regret filling his own. "The Heartless… they only attacked us to take Kumo's body."

(TBC)


	18. Rest of the Heart

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the prelude

Numbness enveloped Kiri like a swath of thick cotton, forming a protective barrier between him and the outside world. All through the rest of their brief stay in Mystaria, he barely heard a word anyone said to him, and their journey back to the surface felt like some kind of dream, as if he was sitting and watching while his body did things automatically. He was slow to respond to anything, not even taking part in the minor skirmishes with Heartless that he so loved, his carmine eyes blank and uncomprehending.

"What's _wrong _with him?" Ai asked desperately one night, with Kiri just barely out of earshot, sitting on his bedroll and staring out into the blue-black sky.

"He's still in shock," Lisa told her. "It's going to be a while before he's able to accept what's happened, and until then, he'll probably stay like this."

"But _why?" _Ai wanted to know. "Why is this so hard to deal with for him?"

Lisa gave her a sad look. "If anything ever happened to Yu, how do you think you would feel?"

Ai flinched as though she'd been struck, her eyes going wide with realization. She stared at Lisa for a few moments, then looked back to Kiri's silent figure. "…oh…"

"I can totally understand where this has put him, but…" Aura interrupted; Lisa and Ai turned to look at her instead. "This is really bad. If Madoushi can't function, and my brother shouldn't be summoning, that means that we've lost most of our defensive power and we need to find some kind of shelter, _fast. _Without that idiot's help, we're fucked if we get attacked by anything stronger than a few Invisibles out in the open."

"There's another Church of Angelus nearby," Fabula suggested. "It's not the same one we stopped at before, but we should be welcome to their order. They'll let us stay until Kiri's feeling more up to journeying."

"That's a good idea," Aura said, nodding. "Okay, we'll start heading there tomorrow. How far away is it? Do you know?"

"It shouldn't be _too _far," Fabula replied with a frown. "We're past Sephira, so we should just keep following the road north, and we'll hit the church in a day or two. This would be a lot easier to figure out if we just had a map."

"Maybe they'll have one at the church," Lisa said with a shrug. "We'll have to ask when we're there."

"There's just something I don't get, though," Ai began after a short pause. "Why would those people need Kiri's brother's _body? _I thought it was only _hearts _that they wanted."

"Well, since we don't know what they're going after, I can't say for sure," Lisa replied, shaking her head. "Still, it must be important somehow."

"That weird thing that came out of the mirror took Lou's body with it after it took her heart," Aura supplied. "Maybe they've discovered that the hearts are useless without their original bodies."

"That could be," Fabula agreed, "though for a person to leave a body behind in the first place, their heart has to be either particularly pure or very strong—what they would need the bodies for, I can't imagine."

Aura stood up with a sigh. "Well, I have to go check on my brother. He probably needs the dressing on his shoulder changed again, and I've seen Pacifist do it enough times that I bet I know how well enough." And she walked off.

Lisa shook her head as they watched her go. "You know, I think that's the first time she's ever addressed me by name, even if it is my surname," she said, amused. "Maybe she's finally getting used to me?"

"Either that, or she's finally coming to terms that no matter what happens between you and Kaze, you're not taking him away from her," Fabula quipped. Lisa went pink, much to Ai's amusement. "I bet she'll even stop picking on you, eventually."

Wearing a furtive smile, Ai stood up as well. "I guess I'd better go find Yu and tell him where we're going," she said, giggling a little. "Goodnight."

"'Night," Fabula replied with a wave as she walked away.

Lisa remained silent, her blush steadily deepening.

---

_"Niisama, I give up… I don't want to do this anymore…" Kumo moaned, sliding down where he sat, resting his face in his arms._

_Kiri sighed and made a face at the wall. "Come on, don't say that."_

_"But it's just too _hard!" _Kumo cried, sitting back up. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes were overbright, and his lower lip trembled a little as he spoke. "I'm _never _going to get all the notes right! It's just too fast, and the only times I've shifted keys quickly enough, I've had to concentrate so hard on that that I've lost control of my Mist when I do it! It's embarrassing… I don't want to do this anymore!"_

_Kiri waited for his brother to rest his face back in his hands before rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. Kumo seemed so mature in everyday life that you usually completely forgot that he was only thirteen years old. Then something like _this _happened, where he didn't just act childish but _babyish.

_"You're just frustrated. Give it a while—it'll be easier if you leave it alone for a day or so, then come back to it."_

_"No, I can't do it! I _can't!"

_"Not with _that _attitude, you can't," Kiri confirmed. "You're running yourself into a brick wall doing this. And it's pretty stupid, considering how well you _could _do it if you just let yourself believe you had the skill."_

_Kumo stared at him, scandalized. "But, Niisama!"_

_"The concert's still two months away, right?" Kiri asked patiently. "Well, then, your teacher isn't going to particularly miss you if you decide to play hooky for a day."_

_Kumo blinked at him. "What?"_

_"Just come with me. I'll find something to do to keep your mind off things. We'll leave a note so nobody worries, and we can go find some way to relieve your stress _other _than throwing your flute at the walls. Then when you go back to class the next day, come at it from a different angle." Kiri stood, then held out a hand. "Just try it, okay?"_

_Kumo gave his brother a despairing look. "We're going to get in _so _much trouble for this, Niisama…"_

_Kiri shook his head. "No—if anyone gets in trouble, it'll be _me. _We'll both say I talked you into it, because that's true. And I think people will understand. Come on—really, this will be good for you."_

_Kumo considered Kiri's hand for a few moments with worried eyes, then silently reached out and took it. Inwardly, Kiri let out a long sigh of relief._

_"Okay? No more tantrums, no more complaints, no more insulting yourself. We're gonna go have fun today, and don't you even _mention _your music class once. Let's get going."_

---

"So that's it?"

Turning to look at Aura, Lisa nodded to her. "Yes. It looks almost the same as the last Church of Angelus we passed, so I'm sure this is it."

"I've never seen one before… it's beautiful." At the wonder in the other girl's voice and the slight smile she wore, Lisa couldn't help but give a smile of her own.

The view of the church certainly was stunning from the party's position, sitting on its hilltop with the cobbled road leading to its heavy oaken doors. It was flanked on either side by a few pine trees, and the sunrise coming up behind it filtered through the stained-glass windows, making them sparkle and shine like the aurora borealis itself. The sky was still morning-pale, and the few stars that could be seen around the moon gave the scene an almost magical feeling.

"It really is pretty," Ai said, nodding. "I didn't think it would be so peaceful…"

"Yeah," Yu agreed, a somewhat wistful look in his eyes as he surveyed the stone chapel.

They were silent for the rest of the way up to the Church of Angelus itself.

Fabula had barely to knock on the doors when they opened, revealing a man of about thirty with reddish-brown hair and kind brown eyes behind them.

"Please, come in," he said softly, not waiting for her to speak. "One of the sisters saw you coming a few minutes ago—you seem as though you need a place to stay, and travelers are always welcome here."

---

"My name is Kratos Aurion; I'm the head priest here," the man told them as they headed into the church's antechamber. "It's been a while since we've had guests here, as I suppose you can imagine. Still, though we don't have much to offer, I'd be pleased if you'd stay here for as long as you need to."

"Thank heavens," Fabula said with a sigh. "We're on our own quest and we'll be leaving when we can, but Kiri here has just had a bad shock and we desperately need shelter until he recovers. It's a rare man who'll take in a stranger without question in these times—thank you."

"Questions can wait until after you've had rest and something to eat," Kratos asserted. "I was a mercenary once, before I joined the order of Cruxis Angelus; I can remember how hard life can be on the road. The bedrooms are up the stairs to your left; once you've got your things in order, come down so that we can talk."

"Thank you again," Lisa said to him as their party headed to the stairs in question. "We'd be hard put to repay the kindness you've already showed us, and I've a feeling that we're going to leave here deeply in your debt."

But as Kratos began to reply, a shriek rang from the upper floor, causing everyone to whirl around and stare.

"Sister Colette!" a second voice wailed, anguished.

And a vague figure in white tumbled down the stairs.

Kiri, who had been staring blankly at the stairs the entire time, started, his eyes widening, then dashed forward, shoving past Kaze and the twins as he reached out to break the stranger's fall. "Hey, are you okay? What happened?"

And the girl who had fallen looked up at him, an embarrassed little smile on her face as she pushed her blonde hair out of her wide, sky-blue eyes. "Oops… hehe, I tripped again…"

As Kiri helped her to stand, Lisa stared. She wore a short white dress with long sleeves and blue piping tracing from the hems in simple but elegant designs along the front and back, as well as the cuffs of her sleeves, and black leggings that eased into soft white shoes that matched her dress. A simple gold ring encircled her slim throat, and from it traced thin and delicate veins of gold that framed a droplet-shaped red jewel that rested just below her collarbones. She was about a head and a half shorter than Kiri—a few inches below Lisa's height—and her facial features had a simple Eastern beauty beneath her long, glossy blonde hair and fair brows. Her eyes were beautiful, even arresting, in their innocence.

And she radiated purity and virtue like heat from a fire.

_Who or what was this girl?_

---

"I'm really sorry… I do that a lot. I didn't mean to cause any trouble," she said earnestly. "I'm Colette Brunel, and I'm a sister here at the church."

"You don't _look _like a nun," Ai said, crossing her arms.

_"Sis, _could you give it a rest just this once?" Yu groaned.

"But I'm not a nun," Colette replied, blinking. "Being a sister here means that you're something like a lesser priestess."

_"Oh." _Ai shrugged. "Well, I don't really know too much about other religions, so." She shrugged again. "That's kind of neat."

"I guess we're going to learn more now that we're here," Yu said. "But really, Sis, we're in a church, so couldn't you at least be polite?"

"Shut it, Yu!"

As the two of them bickered, Colette turned to Kiri, starting to blush a little. "Um… is there something on my face?"

Kiri started again. "Eh? No… no, there isn't…"

"You're staring…"

It was Kiri's turn to blush; sighing, he scratched his head in an embarrassed gesture. "Sorry. You just… you remind me of someone…"

"Oh?" Colette folded her hands behind her back as she looked up at him. "Do… you want to talk about it…?"

"Maybe later… somewhere more private," Kiri said with a sigh. "I don't want to have to burden anyone here with the way I've been acting. …I'm Kiri, by the way."

"It's nice to meet you! Thanks again for helping me," Colette replied with a giggle.

Lisa, who'd been watching them, turned back to Kratos, who stood beside her. "…That girl… who is she? I can sense a holiness to her spirit that I've never felt before…"

Kratos folded his arms and leaned against the nearby wall with a distant smile. "Colette isn't like the rest of us. She was born during a meteor shower, and a spectral presence appeared to the highest members of our order that same night, reminding us of a prophecy that's been stored in this very church for two hundred years. In short, it spoke of a bright light that would descend upon this place in order to guide us through a time of great evil—the human incarnation of one of God's messengers. If we are to believe the signs that we've seen up to this day, Colette is the angel foretold in that prophecy."

"An _angel…?" _Lisa looked back at the girl still happily talking to Kiri and the twins. If not for the divine spirit she could sense, she wouldn't have believed it for a second—Colette seemed just like a normal girl, and surely angels had too much dignity to be klutzes.

"Well, whether or not the prophecy is true, we're all grateful for her presence here," Kratos told Lisa, his smile growing. "Colette is one of our most devout believers, and her faith and kindness have been a light for us in the darkest nights. She keeps us going through all the despair around us, even as the Heartless try time and again to get into this place."

Lisa stifled a gasp. Repeated attacks by the Heartless? That could only mean that Colette, like Kumo, Kairi, and Lou—and probably Luna and Lucia from the other Church of Angelus—had been identified as a possible target of Kara and Azrael Astaroth because of her pure heart!

Seeing the concern on Lisa's face, Kratos shook his head. "I can understand the fear you feel. However… every time the Heartless have attacked, even led by their hooded general, Colette's holy magic has pushed them back. Her power is simply too strong for them." Turning back to Colette herself, Kratos nodded. "It's probably the best thing for your friend that you came here. If anyone can ease the suffering he feels, it's Colette. She seems to be doing wonders for him already."

Feeling her shock slowly subside, Lisa looked between Kratos and the strange girl who made this place her home, then to Kiri, who was talking easily to her despite the way his shock and depression had cut him off from his friends and companions up until mere moments ago. "…You're right…"

"Heaven provides for us all," Kratos replied, then turned, gesturing towards a passage that led deeper into the church. "Now, we're about ready to start serving breakfast. Would you like to accompany us?"

---

"Hey."

Fabula looked up from where she sat, surprised. Aura stood in the doorframe, staring down at her with a hand on her hip. "What are you doing here?"

"Finding you." With that, she headed into the small room, nudging the door closed with her foot before flopping down on the messed-up bed next to her friend. "The midgets are getting the grand tour, Kaze-niisan is asleep, Pacifist's downstairs eating, and Madoushi's off talking to that Colette girl. Even the chocobo is happy—getting fussed over by a couple of acolytes, I think. But in spite of the atmosphere around here and the safety of this place, you're still up here stewing."

"I'm not…" Fabula started, then fell silent as Aura gave her a knowing look. "…Okay, okay. Still, nobody else should have to worry about it but me. It doesn't concern the rest of you."

Aura rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously, it concerns _you, _and since it concerns you, it concerns us. You _are _our friend, you know." Leaning in a little, she poked Fabula in the shoulder, insistent. "Come on… you can talk to me. You know I can keep a secret."

Fabula remembered, and blushed a deep scarlet. But though she opened her mouth guiltily to speak, Aura held up a hand and dug in her belt pouch, pulling out a handful of pastel blue and yellow ribbons. "Besides, I owe you for the last time you did my hair."

She meant to refuse, _really _she did, but she couldn't resist ribbons. Aura played dirty. "…Fine… Still, I don't want you worrying about me, okay?"

"You're acting like my idiot brother," Aura said, shaking her head. "And that definitely says a lot. Here, turn around."

Fabula did.

Aura ran the fingers of her left hand through the long cascade of Fabula's silver hair. _"Man, _this sucks. Not only do you have a great figure, you've got the perfect hair, too. It's so silky, I bet it _never _tangles. I'm so jealous… you have no idea how good you've got it."

And Fabula couldn't help laughing. Aura's spiky brand of humor always seemed to lighten her dark moods, no matter how grim she was trying to be.

"Now, tell me everything, you hear?" And Aura set to work, slipping the ribbons into Fabula's hair and tying them.

"Well, it's this place…" Fabula set her shoulders. "Normally, while we're out on the road, I don't have to worry, but in a place like this it's easy for Cruxis Angelus to reach me. You know that she was the first Guide, don't you?"

"Yeah. Go on, go on."

"…Anyway, in the rest of the world her powers are still limited, but in these churches built in her honor, it's easier for her to send envoys, even if she doesn't appear herself. She sent me one last time, too. Technically, I'm on the wrong side of every Guide law just by being out here with all of you, doing the part that I want to fulfill. I'm still AWOL, and sooner or later I'll have to face the consequences for what I've done. I'm down here on borrowed time, and it took me a lot to persuade her through the envoy that I would report back for punishment after Kiri and I found and restored Kumo's heart. She still wants me to face justice, I know. And she'll probably bother me again this time, maybe come in person—and I don't know how much longer I'll be able to buy time."

Starting to twist Fabula's hair into a loose plait, Aura paused. "…This punishment. It's serious, right?"

"…Yes."

"And obviously, it's something that'll take you away from us, which is why you're so dead-set against taking it until you're done here?"

"…Yes. Don't ask me what it is. That's something I still can't tell anyone."

"If you say so." There was another long pause, then a jingle and a snap of elastic. "…This is actually kinda fun."

Fabula smiled again, though she didn't say anything.

"Okay, done." As Fabula turned to face her, Aura drew her knees up to her chest and shrugged, giving her friend a slight and crooked smile. "You can always talk to me, you know. If you ever just need to vent or something's worrying you, and you know Madoushi will blow it all out of proportion, I'll listen. It's not healthy to just keep everything inside."

Fabula considered Aura for a long moment, then nodded. "…Okay. You're pretty trustworthy, after all. It'll be good to have someone to talk to again."

"Heh." Aura stood. "Okay, then, let's get going. I'm sick of trail food, and these guys have got something downstairs that smells pretty good."

---

"Wow, look at you!"

Fabula did a little half-turn, grinning. "Aura's pretty good at this, actually."

Her hair had been twisted into a braid, loosely at first, then tightly at the bottom, and from a pair of bows where the braiding started, two softly colored ribbons wove along the braids themselves. There was a cluster of bells attached to the elastic band she had around the braid's tail, which chimed softly whenever she moved.

"It's so cute," Ai sighed.

"What are you talking about, Sis?" Yu wanted to know. "Back at home, you always threw a fit whenever anyone ever tried to do your hair!"

Ai hit him on the head, glaring. "I wanted to do it _myself! _All those stupid maids always yanked my hair whenever they tried to do anything with it, and I _hated _that!"

Aura laughed. "Sounds like me. This is really all I can do with my own hair because I was always too busy chasing Kaze-niisan everywhere to stick around and learn more about stuff like that from my parents and the other girls my age." Grinning, she pointed to Fabula. "But this one here was refusing to talk or come down until I bribed her with ribbons. THEN she was all, 'I _must_ have them!' and perfectly willing to come back downstairs."

"And what exactly is wrong with that?" Fabula wanted to know, folding her arms.

"Nothing, really, it's just… you're so _girly." _Aura wrinkled her nose.

"Hey, what's the matter with liking to get dressy now and again? Long baths at a spa, hairdressing, shopping for cute dresses with twirly skirts…"

_"Bleah," _was Aura's only response. The twins both giggled.

"You are so deprived, it's breaking my heart," Fabula said, giving Aura a truly pitying look.

"No thanks. Give me a mud bath over a makeover, any day. And long dresses like those are too hard to move around in."

"If you really think so…" Fabula sighed. "Well, whatever. Woe unto she who tries to change someone else's personal perceptions, after all."

The twins laughed; Aura rolled her eyes and halfheartedly threw a wadded-up cloth napkin at Fabula, who caught it and tossed it back.

"Where's Lisa, anyway?"

"She went to check on Kaze-jisan," Ai told her. "That was a little while ago, before you two came back downstairs."

Aura groaned audibly and made a face. _"Disgusting. _I hope she took protection, at least."

"Protection from what?" Yu wanted to know.

"Don't worry about it," Fabula told him, giving Aura a mild look. "When you're older, you'll understand better."

"I _hate _when grown-ups say that," Ai said, with a huff. "What, do they think we can't get stuff now, so they don't bother to explain?"

Fabula shrugged. "Well, it isn't something you'll have to worry about until you're older. Your parents are supposed to talk to you about stuff like that, anyway."

Ai folded her arms. "Then I'll take that to mean that what Aura said has something to do with sex or drugs and stuff like that."

Fabula considered, then shrugged again. "I suppose. Even if she is exaggerating a little bit."

"But if we know about sex and drugs and things, then why won't you explain this to us?" Yu asked, sulking a little. "It shouldn't hurt!"

"On the contrary—Aura's the one here who likes corrupting young minds, not me. Besides, you'll learn what she meant soon enough, and then you'll wish you hadn't."

Ai and Yu just stared at her, puzzled; Aura snorted.

Fabula just shook her head at them.

---

"Does this feel any better?" Lisa asked, pausing in her work to look up at Kaze.

"…Yes. Thank you." He wouldn't say more, but he continued to watch her, and he seemed much calmer than he had been out on the road. Lisa couldn't be sure, but she thought that he was improving, if only a little bit. It definitely helped that he hadn't summoned since the battle at Lukahn, weeks ago. That way, the corrosion of darkness through his Magun hadn't had any opportunity to spread.

Giving him a brief, reassuring smile, Lisa laid her hands over the fresh bandages on Kaze's still-injured shoulder and concentrated. Soft white light began to issue from her palms, casting a gentle glow over the room as healing energy flowed between them.

"This wound will be much better soon," Lisa told him as she continued to work. "It's lucky that the bullet shell wasn't caught in your shoulder, or it might have become infected. We'll only need to do this once or twice more, and then you can let it finish healing on your own."

Kaze didn't speak, but he nodded, and gave a soft sigh as she removed her hands.

"There you go—all done. Do you want to try to exercise it a little, and see how it feels?"

"It's alright?" he asked, seeming almost surprised.

"Go ahead," Lisa coaxed, nodding. "If it starts to hurt too badly, bring it back to a resting position right away, though."

As Lisa watched, Kaze eased off the bed and stood, putting his hand to his shoulder and very slightly starting to rotate it in circles, an expression of intense concentration on his face.

Lisa let him keep at it in silence for a while, then drew her knees up to her chest and spoke. "Kaze, have you ever injured that shoulder before?"

He stopped and looked at her, bemused. "…Why ask that?"

"It seems like you've done this before," she pointed out. "Normally, I would expect a patient in your condition to make a false move, start to exercise a recovering joint too quickly, but you're going so slowly and carefully that you must have experience with this kind of thing. Also, I've felt traces of scar tissue and the lingering traces of past healings along your arm and chest these past few times, when I haven't had to concentrate so hard on the wound itself." She waited; he would either tell her or he wouldn't.

"There were… a few accidents… in training, when I had started learning the use of a gun," Kaze said simply, and frowned at his shoulder, rotating it backwards a little bit. "Some were… unpleasant."

Lisa winced, imagining. "That must have been painful."

Kaze shrugged his uninjured left shoulder. "I learned the better for it."

Lisa smiled at him. "That sounds like something Kiri might say." Though Kaze didn't respond, the corners of his eyes crinkled slightly, and his habitual almost-frown smoothed subtly. It took Lisa a moment to realize what she was seeing, and once she did, she could feel her heart halt for a few beats out of shock: Grim, solemn Kaze was _smiling back at her._

Despite the brutal toll his long struggle since the loss of his homeland had taken on him, Lisa was amazed at the way he seemed almost handsome when he smiled. _If he could just get back the weight that he's lost, _she realized, _he would probably be pretty good-looking._

She kept watching him for a while, silent as he gradually slowed his pace, then stopped. "…So, how does it feel?"

"…Much better than before. I can move it with almost no pain at all if I'm careful." Kaze sat back down next to her. "Thank you."

Lisa could feel her face heating up. "You don't need to thank _me," _she told him with an almost-nervous laugh. "I love being able to help people, and I want to do everything I can to make things easier for you. You've got enough to worry about as it is."

Kaze considered her for a while, his cerulean eyes gentle as they explored her face. "…You're a kind person, Lisa."

_He said my name, _she thought dazedly even as she went a deep pink in pleasure, tongue-tied. _And he makes it sound so… musical, somehow…_

Lisa shook her head very slightly, resisting the urge to slap her cheeks to wake herself up. Kaze was her _patient, _for heavensakes. She couldn't afford to go all weak-kneed for something as simple as his saying her _name. _What her mother would've thought of her, Lisa cringed to imagine.

Kaze was smiling again.

Knowing that she had to do or say _something _to keep herself acting sane, Lisa pointed at Kaze's Magun. "Do you mind if I take a closer look?"

Kaze blinked, nonplussed. "…Go ahead." Apparently, it had taken him off-guard—as if he, too, had had his mind on things other than their relationship as healer and patient.

_Stop thinking about stupid stuff like that, _Lisa scolded herself, and very gently laid her hands on the metal, ready this time for the warmth it held. Maybe it was only because of where her mind had been, but somehow the gesture felt unusually intimate—Kaze's heart itself was lying beneath her hands, after all. If she concentrated, she was surprised to find that she could actually feel its gentle pulse through her fingertips. It was an incredible, almost humbling sensation, and Lisa took care to keep her movements slow, steady, and as minute as she could in order to keep him from feeling any pain.

The threads of darkness were thicker now than they had been before, and they didn't catch the room's low light as the rest of the metal did. Lisa could feel the infection of the darkness in Kaze's Magun through her Kigenjutsu—it was like some kind of virus, slyly lying in wait for any opportunity, in which it would consume Kaze's all-too-vulnerable heart in one pillaging swoop.

It made something in Lisa's chest hurt.

Using her staff to try to help heal Kaze would do more harm than good to both of them—it opened up her soul too much, and could give that corruption an avenue to spread. However, she still wanted to do what she could to help him… she could sense just how much the darkness seeded through his being was paining him.

And so she closed her eyes, and let energy flow through her hands once more.

"Lisa…" Kaze sounded surprised, even touched.

"It may not be much, but it's something," she said, opening her eyes and turning to him with a pained smile. "It hurts, doesn't it? You shouldn't have to suffer in silence so much, you know…"

This time Kaze's smile was sad, as well. But as he closed his eyes, she could see a peace in him that she would never have expected. "Your hands are… so warm…"

She couldn't quite check her small surprised flinch at those words, and she stared as he gently touched her cheek, a forlorn intensity to his eyes.

They sat there, neither moving, for quite some time.

Then Kaze stood up, letting her go, and walked towards the door, giving her one long soulful look before he headed outside.

---

"Whenever something bad happens to me, I've always come here by myself to pray," Colette told Kiri in a low voice as she led him down the chapel aisle to the second row of pews. "It always makes me feel much better, no matter what it is that's been bothering me." She fell silent as he headed into the middle of the long row of benches and sat down, then followed him, sitting beside him. "Do you believe in God, Kiri?"

He turned to her with a slight smile. "Yes, I do."

"I'm glad," she told him, taking his hand in both of hers and smiling warmly. "No—don't get me wrong, it's not as though I fear for people's souls if they don't, I _know _that God accepts all people for who they are, it's just… I can't help but feel so sorry for anyone who doesn't know what it's like, to believe. To trust that there's something greater going on, that God has a plan."

Kiri nodded. "I know what you mean… even though I'm Taoist and you're Cruxian, that's definitely something we can agree on. I don't think I could stand everything that's happened to me since poor Kumo lost his heart to those _monsters _if I didn't think that there wasn't some reason for it all, even if I don't understand what that reason is."

"To me, it doesn't matter whether you call God 'Cruxis Angelus', 'Blessed Aura', 'Adonai', 'Kamisama', or anything else… so long as you believe that God exists," Colette told him. "As long as you can feel the joy of prayer… the feeling that I want to communicate to as many people as I can in my lifetime." She looked up towards the circle of stained glass near the steepled ceiling with a smile. "It's always a comfort to know that God is there to see my sorrows, and to believe that things will get better in time." With those words, she turned back to Kiri. "Don't you think?"

"…Yeah."

They sat in silence for a long time before Kiri finally looked back at Colette.

"…You're just so much like him, you know…?" he said with a bittersweet smile. "I haven't been able to help seeing his face in so many different people over my journey, but it's never been like this. And I don't know why it is… it's just, there are so many similarities between you two. Faith is important to me, but it's not like it is for him or for you, like a candle you carry everywhere, the kind of thing that just lights up your whole face when you get the chance to talk about it. He was very sick when he was little, and after that he was _really _clumsy for a long time—his grace was something he grew into. When you fell down the stairs earlier, catching you was automatic… I used to have to do that for Kumo a lot."

Colette giggled, embarrassed; Kiri's bittersweet smile grew.

"You've got the same smile as him, too… the same laugh… and even though you don't _look _much alike, there's something in your eyes that says that you are _just _like him to me." Kiri sighed raggedly; he felt his breath hitch in his chest, but didn't care. "All I ever needed to do for Kumo was take care of and support him… and I couldn't even do _that _right. He almost died after he lost his heart… and now _this, _with his body gone too… I don't know if I'll be able to help him now. What if I'm not good enough after all? What if everything I've done has been for _nothing?"_

Colette watched as the tears began to fall, as his body shook, as each sharp, jagged breath became half-sob though he grappled for silence.

And she put her arms around him, held him close.

"It'll be all right," she said softly, her hands sliding in a comforting stroke down his back. "You _will _see him again."

"Why did this have to happen to him?" he demanded, his voice muffled against Colette's shoulder. "Kumo never deserved this! Why…?"

"You'll know the answer someday," she told him, holding him even closer.

She rocked him like a child as he fell apart, soothed him as he threw dignity to the winds and shattered in her arms.

---

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Lisa said warmly as Kiri sat down on the steps in the antechamber. The twins had gone to bed, and both Kratos and Colette were also asleep, along with the rest of their order—apparently, Cruxian priests awoke very early in the day in order to perform chores around the chapel.

"Yeah," Kiri said with a crooked smile and an offhand shrug. His face was still tearstained and red, his motions a little shaky, but it was a vast improvement over his earlier condition. "Well, it's taken a lot out of me, so… I hope I never have to do that again."

"Be sure to get the rest you need tonight," Fabula told him, smiling. "We'll take a few more days here, just to make sure you're doing okay before we go back out. Between Colette and finally having a good cry, I think you'll recover pretty quickly here."

"Just try not to do this again, okay?" Aura said, her manner rough as ever but the look in her eyes almost kind. "It worries the rest of us when you go to pieces on us."

"Do I detect _concern _from _you?" _Kiri quipped dryly. "I must be hearing things."

"Shut up," she told him, but messed up his hair almost affectionately as she did so.

"We're here for you as well," Kaze said as Kiri was trying to sort the snarl of his crimson hair back into order. "Remember that…"

Kiri made a face. "I consider myself duly lectured," he informed them. "Now will you all get out of my face so I can actually _get _the rest that you all keep insisting on?"

---

_"Niisama!"_

_"Hey!" Whirling around, Kiri caught his brother in a headlong dash towards him, picking him up and twirling him around once before setting him back on the ground and embracing him tightly. "Great job out there tonight! You _nailed _that solo—it was perfect! I am _so _proud of you."_

_"Niisama…" Flush-faced with triumph, Kumo snuggled his cheek into his brother's chest, practically purring. "Thank you so much for all the help you've given me this whole time. I couldn't have done it without you!"_

_"Naaahh, you just needed a little nudge in the right direction every now and again," Kiri said with a grin, bending to kiss Kumo's cheeks. "Really, all the skill you needed to play the way you did tonight was right here the whole time." Edging back just slightly, he gently poked Kumo in the chest. "You just needed to be reminded of that."_

_"No, I couldn't have done it without you," Kumo repeated, clinging close again. "You're the only one I would've listened to. Thank you, Niisama."_

_"Heh…" Kiri smiled down at his sweet baby brother. "If you say so. I guess it's lucky that we're always here for each other, then, isn't it?"_

_Kumo turned his radiant smile back on his brother, glowing with pure delight at Kiri's pride in him. "Unn!"_

---

"…And now, Sister Colette… would you please sing today's hymn?"

She stood up from where she sat with the choir and smiled, then bowed to Kratos at the pulpit. "Thank you, Father."

Lisa looked on from where she sat with her companions in the pews, bemused. That morning, Colette had invited them all to join them at prayer, just to see what it was like. The service was similar to a Kirishitan ceremony, though from what Lisa knew, it was simpler in style and not as long.

Kaze and Aura were seated to her right, and the twins to her left; Kiri and Fabula were sitting before them, in the front pew. So far, Ai and Yu seemed interested; it was hard to tell with Kaze, but he seemed content to listen to what the priests and priestesses had to say; though Aura seemed to feign disinterest, she'd been watching the proceedings steadily with arms folded and legs crossed, jiggling one foot all the while. Both Kiri and Fabula looked on while prayer proceeded, respect evident in their posture and the rapt attention they paid to the speakers.

For herself, Lisa found the ceremony educational and interesting to watch, though she held her own set of beliefs. Still, she would be able to pay much more attention to what was going on in front of her if Kaze wasn't sitting beside her, reminding her of what had happened between them before—about which she still had no idea what to think.

But then she felt the resonation in Colette's spirit, and she wasn't able to tear her eyes away.

Colette stood not at the pulpit, but before the aisle, the jewel on her breast glowing steadily and her hands clasped at her heart as she smiled steadily. There was a brilliant flash throughout the room, and when it died down, Lisa couldn't help but stare openmouthed.

"Colette… has wings…!" Yu whispered, entranced.

But they didn't _seem _like ordinary wings—rather than flesh and bone, two fans of ethereal, iridescent pinkish-violet plumes hovered at Colette's back, sending off showers of sparkles whenever they moved.

And Colette began to sing.

The hymn was in a language that Lisa didn't understand, but she was struck by the simplicity and purity of the notes, sung as they were in Colette's steady soprano. The emanations of holiness continued to roll off the girl in waves, leaving Lisa breathless with wonder.

_An angel, _she thought to herself, amazed and beginning to believe, barely even aware that she had reached out and taken Kaze's hand in hers.

Nor was she the only one affected, she saw with another shock.

Kiri, before her, sat with his head turned just enough for her to see it as he watched Colette sing: Something about her purity, her voice, or her wings had moved him to tears.

---

"It's unfortunate that you have to leave us so soon," Kratos told them, "but I wish you good luck nonetheless."

"We'll come back if we can," Lisa promised. "Even though we can't leave Ai and Yu here for good, it's always nice to have a place that's safe enough for us to rest in for a while."

"Goodbye," the twins chorused as the party began to leave.

"Waiiiit! Wait, wait! I have something fo—EEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

"Colette!"

Kiri whirled around just in time to save her from going face first into the floor.

"Are you alright?" he demanded, helping her stand back up.

"Hehehe… I'm sorry…" Blushing straight to her ears, Colette straightened up, brushing off her skirt. "I'm okay, don't worry…"

"You need to be more careful!" Kiri scolded.

"I know, I know, it's just… I have something I have to give to—EEEEEK!" As she'd walked towards everyone else, her foot had snagged a wrinkle in the rug, and down she went again.

This time, Kiri grabbed her around the waist from behind, hauling her back up. "Man, watch where you're going! I'm serious!" He poked her in the cheek. "I'd _really _have to yell at you if you weren't so cute."

"Hehe, you're embarrassing me," Colette protested, swatting his hands away. "Anyway… Fabula-san, I almost forgot, I was supposed to give this to you when you all first came here…" And she held it out. "From one chakram user to another!"

"This is…?" Fabula reached forward and took it, holding it up.

Unlike the wooden chakrams she used in battle, this one seemed to be made of feathers—the kind that Colette had, instead of a bird's. They were arranged in a circle with three long scything pinions at perfect intervals along the ring they made.

"She says that you're to use it with her blessing," Colette told Fabula with a smile.

Fabula blinked at it, then suddenly broke out laughing.

"…What's so funny?" Kiri wanted to know.

"Oh… this just means that I've been doing a lot of worrying for nothing," she explained. "Unless I'm very mistaken, this is just my boss' way of letting me know that I'm off the hook until I manage to accomplish what I've set out to do. After all, she wouldn't send me Angel Feathers unless she approved of what I've been doing so far."

"Well, that's good to know," Aura said, clapping her on the shoulder.

"I'd say."

Kiri sighed, aggravated. "You know, one of these days I'm going to make you explain this whole punishment thing to me in detail. Forcefully."

Fabula shook her new chakram at him, narrowing her eyes. "Don't you even try it. If I don't manage to hit you with a Stop spell, I'll nail your ass with _this _little pretty."

"See what I get for being concerned about you," Kiri grouched. _"Fine. _Be that way. See if I care."

She just laughed at him.

But as Kiri opened his mouth to give her a scathing retort, a sudden impact made him yelp instead—he'd just gotten tackleglomped by Colette.

"I hope we get to see each other again soon," she told him, tightening her hold. "Take care of each other out there!"

"We will," he assured her. "Don't break something the next time you trip."

"I'll be fine!" she replied, waving a hand.

"Now… can you let go before I suffocate?"

Colette did, blushing again, as her collective audience laughed.

Privately, Lisa smiled to herself—it looked like their stay here had been well worth the time it had taken, considering that they finally had the old Kiri back again.

(TBC)


	19. Interlude: Air

Kokoro no Hanashi

:NAZE NANI:

**Breaking News: **Before I babble on about any of the story content (as you know I'm going to do), I have an important announcement to make: At the FF:U Worlds messageboard, one of our new users (Ai no Kareshi) has translated FF:U Before, After, After Spiral, and After 2. He doesn't have the full translations up yet, but his detailed summaries ARE on the forum. You MUST have an account at Worlds to view the threads in question, but as no other site has translations this good, I highly recommend getting one to take a look!

With the new information I have from these translations, I've fine-tuned a lot of plot details in Hikari no Hanashi and Saigo no Hanashi, and information from the After Spiral arc has already seeped into this part of the trilogy. While the universe for this fic IS an original one, it does lean heavily on the original FF:U in places, so I considered it important to get that info.

So, go feed Kareshi's ego and check it out!

**Another translation mistake: **Much like the "Ittouju"/"Ittenju" problem we already saw… however, this one hasn't done any damage and doesn't require a buttload of corrections, thankfully. It's come to my attention that Dolwa's name is more properly translated as "Dolu" or "Dolk", so "Dolu" it shall be when he makes his appearance in Hikari no Hanashi. Just letting y'all know ahead of time. :3

**Kumo's appearances: **Yes, most of you are probably going "WTF, how is he doing that?", but it will not be explained for some time. Just take comfort in the fact that Kumo is still doing what he can to help Kiri and company, though it may not be much.

**Colette: **Kiri needed a crying shoulder other than Fabula, who's been having problems of her own, and since I was using the Tales of Symphonia characters for the most recent Church of Angelus, I decided I'd use her. It worked out better than I expected, partially because I have been playing Kumo a little like Colette so far, and because Colette's sunny disposition is a nice break from the heavy angst of the story in the past few chapters. Writing Colette is so much fun… and to those of you who haven't played Tales of Symphonia, yes, she _does _actually trip that much in the game. Heheh… she was soooo much fun to play around with. :D

**Kiri's religious side: **It was the first time I got to explore Kiri's more religious persona the last chapter, and it was actually kinda fun. It's an important part of his character, even if I don't touch on it as much as I should.

**Maha: **Lord Maha back in Garoh was actually from Golden Sun, where he was an elder in a town of the same name. I liked the Garoh and Air's Rock part of Golden Sun: The Lost Age a lot, and I enjoyed the chance to use them in KnH, though I didn't enjoy having to victimize poor Lou, who does happen to be one of my favorite characters in FF:U.

**Kumo's body: **Has anyone figured out what the bad guys are using Kumo's body for yet? I doubt it, but cookies go to any readers that astute. Yes, this was an important event, and its ill effects will become more and more apparent throughout the rest of the story.

**Progress: **Waiiii, my obsession with FF:U hath been restored! And as such, I've been writing like crazy. Maybe I'll even pick up Kumotta Sora and do its last one or two chapters one of these days, since it doesn't require nearly as much work as KnH. Still, there are events in KnH that I'm anxious to cover, so we'll have to see about that stuff.

I am about… hmmmmmm… (consults list) almost halfway through KnH… maybe. And that's a pretty big "maybe", just to let you know. Still, it's kind of a nice feeling, knowing that I'm getting somewhere.

Be sure to keep letting people know that I've been working, since I'm only getting a few reviews per new chapter these days, which makes the review button very sad. It's starving…

**Kumo's schooling: **Just as a note, the earlier mention of Kumo never having been put through public school is true to the original FF:U—this is mentioned in Kumo's flashback episode during the After Spiral story arc. It isn't clarified, however, whether Kiri did or didn't have the same treatment, so I manipulated those facts to fit the KnH universe. It helps to create the intended image of Kumo as a pure and sheltered young man, and it also underscores the fact that his small circle of friends were introduced to him through Kiri.

**Tuning: **I had a lot of fun writing the scene where Kiri "tunes" his Mist with the help of his Ittouju. As you've probably guessed by now, I'm a musician myself (I play the cello), and so I love to explore the musical aspects of Kiri and Kumo's summoning procedures. I had to make a whole new addition to my Book of Evil Plans (i.e., the notebook in which I'm storing all my story ideas and most notably all the background notes and information I'll need to keep in mind for the Hanashi trilogy) just for it. The different "notes" Kiri references while not speaking of the scales and practice pieces he uses ("heart note" for example) are actually taken from cosmetology, believe it or not! They describe the effects of scents like cologne and perfume, which I thought would be appropriate considering the vaporous state of Mist itself.

The idea of a battle in which the object is to wound without suffering injury oneself was borrowed from the book Blood and Chocolate, which I believe should be read by all werewolf lovers such as myself.

**Kagami-Kaze: **Readers haven't seen the last of him, though he may not appear again for a little while longer. He's too convenient and he's a good way to mess with the _real _Kaze's head (as if it isn't messed-up enough already!), which is necessary for his own side of KnH.

**(And speaking of Kaze and his messed-up-ness…) Kaze's summoning: **We've been giving him too much of a break. You should expect him to start breaking out the Magun again sometime soon.

**The story ahead: **I'm sorry to inform those who were enjoying the more lighthearted part of KnH that things are going to get darker again very soon. (Though, to those of you who like the angst, this is probably very good news…) Clear will be making his appearance in the chapter after the next one, which should make Crystalshippers happy with me (Jeez, someone had better let Kitsune-chan know that he's going to show up, since she hasn't been reading and when she was, she never let a review go by without nagging me about him and Ai…).

In the next chapter, readers will also get a few more hints about the secrets of this story, including revelations concerning (train roars by, blocking out all sound).

Oh… another train again, huh?

Well, they sure are convenient. That way, I don't have to spoil you before it happens! (ducks vigorously thrown kitchen appliances) XD Sorry, sorry. But I really can't have you knowing until we're ready for that…

This time, I think we'll do a little something from Kumo's perspective. We've had plenty of these for Kiri, haven't we? Besides, Kumo-chan needs lots more love than he's been getting so far, the poor thing. So here you have it…

---

Air

"_It's a good song, isn't it? Personally, I've always thought that music is one of the highest points of our people's culture, wouldn't you agree?"_

---

Kiri sits in the empty stone chamber, completely unaware of my gaze.

He faces the door—and me—but he's intent on the wire music stand before him, on the fluttering sheaves of sheet music propped against it… and the cello that he cradles to his body with the same infinite love and care he has for me.

He'll never know the beauty he holds as a musician, never believe me when I tell him about the arresting power of the notes he plays. But that beauty and that power is all I can focus on when I watch him at times like this.

Framed against the wide window behind him, he rocks gently to the rhythm of the cadenza he's practicing, caught in a passionate, swaying waltz with his instrument. One would expect from his countenance that he sits onstage before a full orchestra, flanked by musicians and singers of all ranks, a conductor behind him taking cues from the subtle and artful lengthening of certain notes, watched by endless throngs of our people.

To my dear brother, it makes little difference, though here he's alone, his cello's soft cloth case off to one side, various objects for the care and maintenance of his instrument on his other, from unopened cases of rosin and new strings to polishing cloths and a rubber mute to fit against the strings at the bridge, should a piece he plays call for it.

Kiri is a particular musician, almost picky in the way he defines what will and will not be allowed around his precious cello. His bow carries mixed black, brown, and pale fawn horsehair, which he claims grips the strings better and produces a louder sound and more mellow tone; he uses rosin collected from only certain kinds of trees. He listens to pieces when they are first given to him, and from there on, he practices them alone, unless there are other performers whose presence is integral to his success in practice.

And once he sits on the true stage, his delivery is always perfect.

Whenever I point this out to him, Kiri laughs and tells me that I'm exactly the same way, that anyone of our race usually takes the same precautions with any instrument they play and the performances they participate in.

But I know better. My brother is a jewel apart from the other precious stones of our orchestra.

I can't help but admire his surety, his confidence, and his precision. Between those things and the passion that I know I can never equal, Kiri has always been my rock, my shelter, my protector—the one I look up to and cherish, and love with all my heart.

For as long as I can remember, he's always been there for me—my early memories, tainted though they are with my constant illnesses, are brightened due to his presence; throughout my long lonely childhood, he was my closest companion. He trusted me enough to tell me how much he really loved me—and in what way—that night when I was twelve; he introduced me to Hoshi, Arashi, and Ame, bringing relief to my friendless days. He has devoted himself to my well-being completely, and yet he's managed to do it without stifling me in my desire to grow.

Kiri was the one who argued with my parents on my behalf when I announced to my family that I wanted to follow him along the path of the sword, and he was the one who helped me with the most basic of lessons in secret until our mother and father finally gave in, entrusting me into the tutelage of Kiri's strict yet patient swordmasters and –mistresses.

His insistence of viewing me as a child to be protected even now is both charming and vexing; while I enjoy his chivalry, I don't _always _need his constant guidance. Still, I can admit (and do) that his vigilance around me has always kept those who wish to do me harm from carrying out their ambitions.

Ever since I was old enough, I've always wished for Kiri to always be right there by my side, helping me, caring for me, and loving me, the way he has been all my life.

And yet, I've also wished that one day, he would look me in the eye and see me as his equal. I've dreamed futilely of catching up to him eventually.

That was, after all, why I originally decided to learn to fight: In order to get closer to him, and understand his passion for what he loved the most.

But it's a hopeless dream, I know. Because I'll never be able to match Kiri's goodness or his pride, or the strength he's always had while I've succumbed to my own weakness. I can never equal the way he's managed to be strong enough for both of us all these long years.

My brother will always be my better, and I've more or less come to terms with that.

Because I want him there, by my side. I'm too afraid of standing alone.

I've always been in love with him, as he has always loved me. We will be there for each other forever, and once our engagement finally ends in our life-bonding we really will become one, the way I know we've both been dreaming for years.

I want that. I can live with that, even if Kiri always feels that he has to protect and shelter me.

Because I know that he'll give me that same passion that he holds in moments like these, when all his attention is claimed by the instrument he holds.

I could never love anyone more than I love him, in times like this.

He ends his piece on one long vibrato note, lifting his bow into the air and letting the sound ring.

And I push the door open and walk in.

He turns to me with a smile. "Kumo-chan, what is it?"

"Niisama, are you ready to practice our duet?"

His smile grows as he switches the sheet music on his stand. "…Yeah."

The piece we're getting ready to perform now is called "Air", and it was a gift from the traders down on the surface, composed for violin and cello. For both of us, it was love at first sound, and Kiri managed to bully one of our music instructors into shifting the violin part into something my flute can handle. "Air" has a beautiful lilting melody, traded between us in turns, breaking way at the song's bridge to a tempestuous interlude, but then returning to that sweet and beautiful theme that both of us love so deeply.

As usual, Kiri already has his part down perfectly, while I need a little practice to solidify my confidence. Still, he tells me that that's a good thing—that I always make _sure, _while he rushes into things headlong. He laughs as he reminds me of the number of times we've been practicing when I've noticed a discrepancy between the notes on my brother's score and the notes his lovely skilled hands draw from his cello, all the performances I've saved with my meticulous habits. But I just see it as another way I've continually fallen behind in our brotherhood, in our love.

"Should we take it from your solo at the top, or practice an individual part?"

I shake my head. "Once I warm up, that should be fine. We'll find the places I need to fine-tune when they come… is that all right with you?"

He smiles, his eyes so full of that warmth he only shows to me. "It'll be fine. We've got plenty of time before the concert, and we'll just take this at your pace until then. Okay?"

I nod and smile back.

Despite my woes at never quite being able to catch up with him, I know…

I know somehow that no matter how far behind I fall, he'll always be waiting ahead, with one hand out to guide me along the path he's already forged through the darkness of the future.

He'll always, always be there.

And that's something that I can't help but be grateful for.

I run up and down a few scales on my flute, then nod to Kiri and begin my opening solo, watching him all the while. He sits with a smile, his bow poised in perfect position along his cello's strings, his hands already going in a vibrato that he'll lean into as soon as he begins to play, waiting for me to reach that critical point, trusting me to come after him.

And I always will.

I can't repay his faith in me with anything else.

(TBC)


	20. Courage

Kokoro no Hanashi

see disclaimer in the prelude

"So, where are we headed now?"

Lisa looked up at the twins where they rode atop their chocobo and shook her head. "To tell the truth… we're starting to run out of places to look. We're going north now; there are a few towns like Octam, Fuyushin, and Port Bellebane there as well as the capital city and the fiefdom of Conkram. We'll try each of them as we come to them. Surely there's _some _safe place for the two of you to stay."

Ai shrugged, giving a sulky sigh.

"You know… we want to help everyone else, too," Yu said quietly. "I'm learning to fight, and Sis has been such a great help already… can't we stay? I'm sure we could be of some use to all of you…"

Lisa began to reply, but stopped short as Aura began to drop back towards them, wearing a wry smile. "Well, if we run out of places quickly enough, we might just have to take you along," she butted in. "I'm sure that even Lisa won't complain, so long as we look around first. Your dad did pay us a _lot _to try to find somewhere safe for you, and Kaze-niisan and I are honor-bound to fulfill that request to the best of our ability because of that."

"Aura, I don't…" Lisa began softly, but Aura elbowed her fiercely, and she fell silent.

"They may just be a couple of runts, but they're my clients," Aura said in a low voice. "Besides, they're right—they _are _helpful. In times like these, we all do what we can."

Lisa sighed. She knew she wasn't going to win this argument now, so she decided not to turn it into one, and didn't reply. Aura, it seemed, had lost the thread of their conversation anyway, looking over her shoulder with a frown as she walked.

"Is there something wrong?" Lisa inquired.

Aura looked back at her, surprised, then over her shoulder again. "…It's nothing," she said at last. "I thought there was something… but I guess I was wrong. I don't feel anything now. And _you _didn't sense anything either, so I guess it's okay." And so saying, she quickened her pace again, heading back up to her brother.

Lisa watched after her for a while, then sighed and smiled. As Fabula had suggested, it seemed as though the edge of Aura's distrust of Lisa was beginning to dull at long last. And as her relationship with Kaze had moved past "friendly" to "confusing", that was something that Lisa was definitely glad for.

Still, as long as they were on the road, she had to focus on the spirit flow around them, so as to have advanced warning of anything hostile that might approach them along the way. And there were the twins to look after, as well.

So she couldn't afford to dwell on Kaze right now…

---

Kara faded back into the cover of the nearby trees, her expression unusually solemn as she watched the travelers along their way, her brows knitted in concentration.

Curse it, Azrael had been right—she had to be careful. She could easily mask her presence from the healer woman, but one false step and that girl would realize where she was. If she'd brought any Heartless along with her, she would have been hard put to conceal herself.

And she had to follow them for a reason.

The key was useless without the four cornerstones of the Gate, of which she and Azrael had only recovered one—and that had been through the powers of the Shadow Mirror. Their targets were marked, and so long as everything went according to plan, at least one more potential cornerstone would be easy pickings.

So long as she was careful.

_Damn that girl, _Kara thought bitterly. _And curse the day that Windaria ever had the chance to seize the kind of power she wields… As long as she's with them, all of this could prove to be very difficult…_

---

Lisa stopped short in the road, giving a slight gasp.

"What is it?" Kiri asked, pausing and looking over his shoulder.

"Heartless," she announced, taking out her staff.

"I can feel them too," Aura agreed. "It doesn't seem like there are very many, though…"

"Then we should probably keep going, shouldn't we?" Fabula gestured to the open road ahead. "If we run into them, we can take care of them easily, and the map we got from Kratos says that there's a waystation nearby, which will be a good place to rest if anything out of the ordinary happens."

"What's a waystation?" Ai asked.

"They're sort of like small inns along the road, set up for travelers," Fabula explained. "They don't have staff, but every year, the people of the closest fiefdom—that would be Conkram, around these parts—come by to restock. There'll be beds and probably water and supplies, so it's a good place to spend a day or two; we won't have to sleep on the road if we want to rest."

"That does sound like a good idea," Yu agreed.

"Let's move on, then…" Kiri started, then turned, his voice trailing off. "Ah—it looks like our company has finally arrived." He gestured towards a small group of Heartless—a Darkball flanked by several Shadow Heartless—heading towards them down the path.

"Those are the ones I sensed before," Lisa told him.

"Well, that's nothing to worry about, is it?" Aura said with a shrug, unholstering her guns. "We can take them out in five seconds, no problem."

"Wait," Kiri called. She turned to him, looking miffed, but didn't fire. "These Heartless are weak, so this gives me the chance to try something I've been wanting to for a while." He turned to the twins, seated atop their chocobo as usual. "Ai, Yu—why don't you two handle this?"

Both of them stared at him.

_"Us?" _Yu asked incredulously.

"Yes, you," Kiri replied, crossing his arms. "I think we're at a point in your training where you'll fare pretty well against weak enemies; it'll help to bolster your self-confidence, and you'll have your sister behind you for long-range support. Plus, if anything happens, the rest of us are here to bail you out. Why not?"

"You really think I'm ready?" Yu asked shyly.

But before Kiri could answer, Ai smacked him in the back of the head from where she sat. "Have a little faith in yourself, Yu! I swear, you're driving me crazy! If Kiri says you can do it, then I know you can! He's your teacher, isn't he? He knows your strength a lot better than you seem to!"

"She's right, you know," Kiri told him with a smile.

Yu sat still for a while, his head bowed.

"The Heartless aren't getting any further away, you know," Aura reminded them. Kaze gave her a look, and she fell silent, directing a sidelong glare at him.

"It's now or never, Yu," Kiri said gently. "You remember what happened to Lou, don't you? You never want to be put in that position again, right? So, the next time there's someone you want to defend, you'll need to step forward. If you can't do it now, can you do it then?"

Yu took a deep breath, steeling himself, then slid down from the chocobo's saddle, grasping his bokken tightly. "Okay," he said softly.

"That's more like it," Ai announced, and grabbed her crossbow, setting an arrow to the string. "Just go on—I'll cover you."

Yu paused as he got to where Kiri stood, looking up at his teacher.

"I have faith in you," Kiri said in a low voice, and winked.

Yu turned back to the Heartless—and charged.

Kiri watched his student with an appraising eye. No matter how uncertain the young boy had seemed when his teacher had sprung the idea of his first solo battle, Yu's stance was sure as he ran forward, his wooden sword held in perfect position.

"And _strike," _Kiri murmured under his breath, watching Yu do just that.

The Shadow Heartless coming towards him had outpaced their Darkball companion, much to their loss. Yu smote the leader of their tiny, tight-knit pack with three strong strikes from his bokken, and it squealed and vanished into smoke as he turned to the next, and the next.

_"Excellent," _Kiri said to himself, feeling a sudden wellspring of pride rise in his chest. His timing in deciding to let Yu do this had been nearly perfect; the boy was making very few mistakes, from which he recovered quickly. It was a good thing that his enemies weren't any stronger or smarter, or they might have overwhelmed him, but he was more or less taking care of the Shadow Heartless before him with ease.

Now for the Darkball: a challenge, and Kiri knew it. He wasn't entirely sure that Yu could take the Darkball on his own, since these Heartless tended to be a little bit stronger, a little bit smarter, than their tiny, rather dimwitted cousins, and they could grow about as many appendages as they wanted. Still, though Kiri could see how nervous Yu was, he knew from his own experience that the hours and hours of seemingly endless drills were paying off, and that the boy was reacting to the Darkball's attacks almost automatically: Block the low strike, but dodge the one from the side so that you'll have an opening to land a blow yourself. The bokken wasn't doing a lot of damage to the big thing, but through perseverance, Yu was making the hits he got in count.

Then the Darkball swiped at him, growing multiple new tentacles and grasping the long shaft of his bokken, entangling it completely, its clutching hold too strong for Yu to yank the wooden sword free.

Kiri bit back a curse and put a hand on the hilt of his Maken.

But before he could run to join the boy, Yu wheeled to the side, throwing his entire weight into the motion and jerking a few of the Darkball's tentacles loose. As he did, he looked back to their party with a frantic yell: _"Sis!"_

"Got it," Ai called back, and loosed the arrow she'd been saving the entire time.

It went straight through the Darkball's jewel-like eye; the Heartless shrieked and vanished, leaving Yu suddenly stumbling in attempt to recover his balance.

Once he had, he began to walk back to his friends, sighing in relief.

"Nicely done," Kiri told him, clapping him on the shoulder. Seeming to forget his exhaustion, Yu looked up at him out of shining eyes. "You didn't make any serious mistakes, and that was some pretty good judgment you showed in letting your sister take that shot. The few times you did screw up, you caught yourself, and anyway, those are little nitpicky things we can take care of the next time we have a practice session. All in all, I'd say that you can start taking a much more active part in battles from now on. The more experience you get, the better."

Positively glowing, Yu nodded. "Thank you!"

"Then we should get going," Fabula said with a smile. "After all, the sooner we get to the waystation, the sooner you two can get some rest."

"What's it called, anyway?" Lisa wanted to know.

Fabula pulled the map out of her pack, inspecting it. "Here it is—apparently, someone's got a rather morbid sense of humor around these parts. They call this place the 'Inn of Bereft Souls'."

---

"It's… empty," Yu said softly, staring around.

Fabula shook her head. "Well… it's not like we could expect much more of this place. It was rare for waystations to even have a single permanent staff member in the days before the Heartless came, so it would be next to impossible that there would be someone else here."

"Still, it's safer than sleeping out on the road," Kiri said, shaking his head as he walked into the building. "This place is two stories high, with all the bedrooms on the top floor, so I'm betting that we'll be safe if we don't set a watch."

"It's not exactly sturdy, though, is it?" Lisa murmured as she followed him. "No walls, no spells of fortification…"

"And yet it looks as though it's been untouched by the Heartless so far," Fabula pointed out. "I don't think they would expect people to come here, so we'll probably be alright for a night or two."

_"Finally, _we can sleep in a _bed _again," Ai sighed. "Come on, Yu."

"Just a sec—it looks like there's some kind of stable out back, and I have to fix Chobi's tack before we let him stay there," her brother protested, pointing.

"Actually, I think I can handle that," Lisa volunteered. "Why don't the two of you go on ahead upstairs and pick out a room? You've already done your share of work today."

"Unn!" Trading smiles, the twins dashed up the stairs, while Lisa put a hand on the chocobo's saddle, guiding it towards the waystation's back door.

"I'll check how this place is doing on supplies," Fabula told the others. "Don't wait up for me—the three of you need your rest, too." And off she went.

"She's right… I for one am definitely beat," Kiri said, looking back over his shoulder at Kaze, who was inspecting the premises, and Aura, who was standing with her back to them, a hand still on the doorframe. "What about you guys?"

Kaze glanced at him, then away; Aura said nothing. Shaking his head at the two of them, Kiri headed for the stairs, going after the twins. "Jeez. All I did was ask a question…"

But once he was gone, Kaze turned to his sister with a frown. "Aura…"

"…Eh?" She turned back to him, blinking. "What is it?"

"…Is something wrong?"

She shook her head and made a face. "…No… it's nothing. I can't feel any Heartless anywhere near here." Despite her words, she glanced back outside with a faintly perturbed expression. "…It's nothing…"

---

—Who are you and why have you come here?

_It was pitch black; Kiri couldn't seem to find the source of the voice. "My name is Kiri Madoushi, and I seek my brother's heart."_

—Why do you fight?

_The questioning was starting to make Kiri angry. "I fight for one I love!"_

_The source of the voice shifted around to behind him; though Kiri turned, he still couldn't quite find the speaker in the darkness. It was starting to annoy him._

—Yes, this one will do. This one will do quite nicely…

_"What are you talking about?" Kiri turned in a circle again, irritation starting to swell under his voice, though he fought himself for control. "Give me a straight answer!"_

—You carry the most powerful weapon of them all, though you may not yet be aware of it.

_"What do you mean? What weapon? And why are you talking about me like this? If you know something about Kumo, then tell me!"_

—The door has been opened… and now, the Gate itself is in peril. In ancient times, the great balance was disturbed when humankind began to covet the light; their greed used too much of it too quickly, and the darkness ran rampant. Now, again, the equilibrium of the multiverse has been disturbed. Darkness must again partner light, or life itself will be extinguished. Kiri Madoushi, Mystarian man who claims to fight for love… are you worthy? Are you willing to tread the path of suffering laid out before you?

_"You're not making any sense! Look, I don't care about any of this—if you can't help me find Kumo, whoever you are, then just leave me alone! That's what matters most to me right now. Everything else can _wait."

—Yes, you will do nicely…

_But before Kiri could demand to know anything more about what the strange voice meant, something yanked the ground from beneath him, and he was plunged into oblivion._

---

Aura groaned and curled into a ball, disgruntled at having been awakened so rudely from what had felt like the nicest sleep she'd had in months. After being able to rest her too-weary body on such a soft bed, she'd wanted to enjoy the gradual awakening that came with the slow brightening of light as morning rolled into midday. Furious with whatever had decided to wake her up, she rolled over and buried her face in her pillow defiantly.

But as her grogginess gradually started to slip away, every sense started to _scream _that she and her brother were in deadly danger, and Aura frowned to herself, slowly giving in and sitting up, trying to filter through the overwhelming waves of panic her Heartless-sense was trying to impress on her.

Right, there were Heartless nearby, she _got _that much. But there was something else… something… it had been bothering her all yesterday, and it _still _annoyed her that she hadn't been able to puzzle it out. It was little more than a nagging at the edge of her radar, but she knew that that little bothersome twinge that had been an incessant annoyance the day before was what was making adrenaline surge through her veins like this.

Sighing—the sun had just barely started to rise, and she'd badly wanted _sleep—_Aura swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped them into her boots, fastening her gunbelts though she left her other belongings where they were, not bothering to fuss with her impossible hair. Shoving her heavy bangs out of her face, she walked over to her brother's bedside and laid a hand on his shoulder, shaking him.

"Hey, Kaze-niisan, wake up. There's something weird going on here…"

That was strange. He hadn't snapped awake like he usually did.

And this was _Kaze, _who she knew had been trained for absolute alertness just as she had, awake-at-the-slightest-touch Kaze, who almost never experienced deep sleep of any kind, and _certainly _never seemed _this _out of it unless he was sick.

"Kaze-niisan!"

No matter how hard she shook, he wouldn't wake.

She laid her hand over his Magun and felt his steady pulse, then touched his forehead. He wasn't running a fever—there was no reason for him to be like this.

Damned strange.

With an exasperated sigh, Aura headed outside, then into the next room, where Fabula was staying. The Guide was curled up in bed, her hair into a loose braid once again, clutching a spare pillow tightly to her chest, which in any other situation would've made Aura smile. But she wasn't here to watch how cute her new friend was while asleep—if there was something weird going on, she would need backup of some kind.

Aura put a hand on Fabula's shoulder, shaking her insistently. "Hey, wake up!"

No response.

All right, there was _definitely _something wrong with this picture.

Dashing out of Fabula's room, Aura pushed open the next door—Kiri's room. The Mystarian swordsman was scowling in his sleep, and he was gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly that he absolutely _had _to have _some _kind of awareness—

"Madoushi, come on!"

But like Fabula and her brother, he couldn't be wrenched from sleep's grasp no matter how roughly she shook him or how loudly she yelled. She even tried slapping him once, but there was absolutely no response.

And this was starting to seem really creepy.

"You're all useless," Aura growled to herself, covering her worry with bravado, and headed into Lisa's room, now prepared for still more of the same.

Ai and Yu stood at her bedside, both cajoling in pitched voices, with Ai shaking Lisa's unresisting body almost viciously.

"Hey, you two—"

They both turned, near-painful relief on their faces. "Aura-san, you're awake!"

She shook her head. "Yeah, but I can't get Kaze-niisan, Fabula, _or _Madoushi to wake up. Is Pacifist the same?"

Yu nodded. "We tried everything we could think of, but…"

Aura let out a terse sigh. "Damn. This _can't _just be a coincidence—it has to be some kind of spell. But if that's the case, then why weren't any of _us _affected?"

Ai and Yu exchanged glances, then left Lisa's side to join Aura.

"It sounds like there are Heartless downstairs…"

"Yeah, I can definitely feel that, but there's something else there, too…" Aura glared at the door. "Something that's been bothering me for a while… but I just can't figure out what it could be…" She looked back to the twins and put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Look, as long as this spell or whatever is in effect, you two have got to help me hold off those Heartless. If they get up here, they could easily take these guys' hearts or even kill them while they're helpless and sleeping."

"Us?" Yu asked. "But… I only just started fighting with you guys yesterday!"

"What can _we _do to help?" Ai demanded almost tearfully.

"There's nobody else who can do it for you now," Aura told them. "Unless you give me backup, I'm gonna get overrun by the small fries while I'm trying to deal with whatever's _really _causing all this trouble downstairs. We have to make our stand, unless we want everyone else to lose their hearts or die. And you don't want to see that happen, do you?"

Ai and Yu shook their heads, looking up at her seriously.

"Well, then, come on. It's time we made our stand."

---

Aura led the way, both guns blazing, inwardly thanking the teachers who had drilled her over and over on one-handed reloads as she pumped clip after clip of Soil-filled bullets into the Heartless starting to clamor towards the stairs. Ai, slightly behind her, was a little more cautious, choosing her shots instead of just firing wildly, making sure to stick close to Aura and her brother. There was little that Yu could do, but he batted away Heartless that got too close to the others with his bokken, trying to defeat any Shadow Heartless that he could.

They'd been at it for several minutes—and had cleared away a respectable amount of their foes, as well—when the door to the waystation opened, and Kara waltzed into the Heartless-filled lobby.

Aura's eyes widened as that strange feeling finally fell into place, then opened fire.

A nearby Invisible dove in front of Kara, taking the blasts of Aura's gunfire in her stead. As it fell, twitching, and vanished into smoke, Kara gave the three defenders a knowing smirk. "Now, is that any way to treat a visitor?" she asked coyly, arching one eyebrow as she stepped forward.

"I _knew _you had something to do with this, _bitch," _Aura snarled, her voice twisted with hatred as she fought to reload her revolvers—both of which she'd just emptied on Kara, curse it. "You're gonna pay for Garoh and Lukahn!"

Faster than even Aura's eye could trace, Kara's whip snapped through the air, slamming the gun out of Aura's right hand and sending it flying, hitting the wall only to slide to the ground and be buried by Heartless. Aura swore and fired again with the gun remaining to her, but Kara danced out of the way.

"Listen, you two—keep the Heartless out of my face, I'll handle this," Aura snapped, and before either Ai or Yu could protest, she barreled forward, shooting again and again.

Every time, Kara either stepped out of the way or had a nearby Heartless shield her. But as Aura continued to draw closer, Kara drew back that lethal whip once more and snapped it through the air, winding its heavy cord around Aura's arms, binding them too tightly for her to be able to aim for any part of Kara at all. Aura swore again, even more colorfully this time.

"My, you use _such _language in front of children," Kara said mildly, looking Aura up and down. "Perhaps I should have made that working stronger after all? My dearest Azrael _did _warn me that it likely wouldn't work against you. Such a shame… and the sleeping draughts along this whip won't affect you either. What _shall _I do with you, then?"

"What did you do to everyone else?" Yu interrupted, trying to sound brave. "Tell us!"

Kara turned to him and let a slow smile creep across her face. "It's _only _a simple sleep spell, little man. Of course it won't affect either of you, nor our dear firebrand over here…" she shrugged a shoulder at Aura. "I don't care about any of _them, _after all. You needn't worry for their safety."

Aura tried to wrench her arms out of the whip, but Kara noticed, walked up to her, and hooked a leg around Aura's, whipping it out from beneath her. Both Ai and Yu cried out when Aura hit the floor, but even through the same kind of shock that had nearly disabled Kiri not so long ago, Aura didn't seem to be too impressed.

"Got you, _bitch," _Aura snapped, and as Kara's eyes widened, she held out her revolver, and shot.

Though Kara managed to get away from the main force of the blast in time, Aura's shot managed to hit one of Kara's shoulder pads, knocking it awry. Kara scowled at her, and in a swift movement, unwound her whip from Aura's arms—but before Aura could fire again, a second slice of the whip knocked her revolver away.

"I _knew _you were going to make trouble," Kara seethed. "Well, chase after your little toys if you wish, but I'm done with you for today." She turned to the twins, even as Aura snarled and tried to find her revolver under the swarm of Heartless. "Now then, little girl… what do you think you're going to do with _that?"_

Ai had her crossbow up, ready to fire on Kara.

"It's a brave move, but it won't work," Kara announced, and lunged forward, striking out with her whip, snapping out at the arrow just as Ai loosed it, breaking it in two and flicking the drug-coated tip over Ai's bow arm.

Ai shrieked; Yu instantly dropped his bokken and grabbed her shoulders as she went down. "Sis! Talk to me, Sis! Are you alright!"

Ai gritted her teeth, shivering from the sharp shock of the pain. "Yu…"

_"Damn _it," Aura swore, picking up one of her lost revolvers only to realize that there were only spent shells left in it, not even a second round of live bullets. "You kids just hang on, okay?"

"Hurry, Aura!" Yu cried. "Sis is… she's…"

"I'm _fine," _Ai insisted, even though she shook so badly that she couldn't keep hold of her crossbow. "Just worry about those Heartless…!"

Yu looked between Aura, fumbling with a fresh round of bullets, and his sister, glaring up at him with mixed trust and impatience.

And he made his decision.

Rearming his wooden sword, Yu turned back to Kara, grim determination in his youthful face as he brandished it at her.

Seeing his expression, Kara burst out laughing.

"Oh, look at you! _So _brave," she cooed. "You want to be the hero for your dear sister, is that it?" She paused, smiling wickedly. "Well, you know what they say about heroes…"

She lashed out with the whip faster than Ai, Yu, or Aura could see, and its braided cords wound around and around Yu's body, only giving him the chance to yell in surprise before she yanked him towards her.

"…All they do is get themselves killed!"

Every Heartless in the room swarmed towards Kara, sinking into the floor, and a vortex of darkness exploded beneath her as she grabbed hold of Yu, who was still trying to fight to get away.

Ai, still half-paralyzed by whatever drug Kara's whip had been coated with, screamed her brother's name with everything she had.

Tentacles of darkness sprouted from the pool of blackness, weaving their way up Kara and Yu's bodies, drawing them down through the Heartless' portal with aching slowness. Though Aura finally managed to load her round of bullets, as she took aim, she realized in sudden fury that if she chanced a shot, she would most likely hit Yu along with Kara—they were too close together.

Kara smiled down at Yu, her expression violent, almost insane. "Your heart is _mine!"_

And she ripped it from him—a tiny thing that glowed with purity, the only light in the room—just as the darkness beneath her exploded into thick growth, and she disappeared with Yu as though neither of them had ever been there in the first place.

(TBC)


	21. Chorale Appassionato

Kokoro no Hanashi

see disclaimer in the Prelude

The shriek of hatred echoing through the waystation jolted Fabula out of sleep.

Her reaction was automatic: You didn't just hear something like that and roll back over, put your pillow over your head, and forget. So, still fighting off her disorientation, she rose, struggled back into her dress, and ran outside her room barefoot, leaning over the banister that overlooked the lower floor. "What's going on?"

The other doors clattered, as well, and Fabula looked to each side to realize that Kaze and Lisa, hastily dressed, and Kiri, half-naked but with Maken in one hand and a Mist bottle in the other, had joined her, each a combination of apprehensive and bewildered.

Gesturing for them to follow her, she headed down the stairs, caution in her every movement as she sized the situation up. The waystation's lower floor was a wreck, with the debris of battle everywhere—the spare furnishings of the room had all been viciously dismantled, the floorboards were torn up in a few places, and broken arrows and gunshot residue were all over the place.

Yu's bokken lay near the bottom of the stairs. The boy himself was nowhere in sight.

Aura stood in the doorframe, shaking with badly contained violence, half-carrying and half-supporting Ai, whose left arm was bleeding sluggishly as she fought desperately to keep upright, even with Aura's help.

"What happened?" Lisa asked, looking around. "Where's Yu?"

Ai's soft sob was muffled against Aura's side, but they all heard the girl's hoarsely whispered words: _"He's gone…"_

"I'll get that bitch for all of this if it's the last thing I do," Aura said through gritted teeth, glaring out into the horizon. "I swear it."

There was a long silence as realization dawned on those who'd been asleep for the whole thing, broken only when Kiri swore softly, whirling in an angry flash of red to glare into the distance.

"Pacifist."

Lisa took a few steps towards Aura, biting her lip. "Yes?"

"This little one won't be able to stand soon. It'll be a while before the drugs _that bitch _puts on that whip of hers are out of her system. It isn't safe for us to stay here, nevertheless. Treat these wounds, and since she'll probably be asleep by then, get her in the chocobo's saddle and strap her in. We have to get out of here. _Now."_

Lisa nodded, and slowly fitted her arms around Ai's unresisting body as Aura loosed her hold on the young girl. As the healer carried her charge to a relatively undamaged part of the room, Aura continued to give her orders.

"Kaze-niisan, Fabula—go and get everyone's things; we'll need to pack quickly so that we can leave as soon as Pacifist is finished."

Kaze went; Fabula hesitated for a moment, giving Aura a look of concern, but eventually followed him, looking over her shoulder as she went.

"Madoushi…"

Kiri looked at her out of tired, forlorn eyes.

"I think we should stop fucking around here—and go straight to the capital this time. We'll cut east to Lake Teros, then take that road up towards the capital. That alright with you? …After all, it is just another detour for you."

Kiri sighed. "No—it's fine. We have to find that poor kid somewhere she can stay. At this going rate… she's losing everything, and too quickly. God. This is just too much." His eyes stung; he covered his face with his hand as he sagged against the wall.

"Don't you go weak on me," Aura told him, turning to him at last. "We need you—now more than ever. If it's too hard for you to deal with, don't let yourself think until you _can _deal. Alright?"

Kiri didn't answer, but he could see the wisdom in her words.

He admired her ability to think with cold and unforgiving logic at that moment, just as he hated her bitterly because of it.

---

When night fell, with Ai still mostly asleep upon the bewildered chocobo, the party made camp and tried to piece things together, as though making sense of the previous night's events would take an edge off the pain.

"So at least now we know why the Heartless were attacking the Hayakawas' fief. We probably should've figured that much out a lot sooner, but I guess it's too late for that now." Aura turned to Ai and shrugged a shoulder in her direction. "And you know, it's possible that Kara bitch and her flunkies also want _her _too, since they're twins. I just wish we could damn well figure out what they _needed _all these pure hearts for, anyway."

"Too many people… have come to grief because of this," Kaze said softly, staring into their small fire. "We must end it if we can."

"Especially for the sake of these poor children," Lisa agreed. "Life can't go on like this…"

"And exactly how do we plan to save the world?" Aura asked dryly, causing them both to look at her. "Sure, I think that killing that Kara bitch is a great start, but what then? We also have to go up against whatever destroyed that refugee camp, and the thing that comes out of mirrors. And there's that Azrael Astaroth guy, and the only thing we know about _him _is that he has the power to destroy the supposedly impenetrable seals of Mystaria." She made a short derisive sound. "And even if we manage to kill the ringleaders, there'll still be Heartless. There'll _always _be Heartless around."

"So what?" Kiri snapped, getting to his feet. "If there's something we can do, we should do it! Don't you care about _any _of this at all?"

"Of course I care, or else I'd have left you idiots to die by now," Aura retorted. "There's no use getting bent out of shape. Sit down."

Kiri stared at her. _"Getting bent out of shape? _A boy who's been traveling with us for _weeks _just got his heart stolen right out from under our noses! We can't all be like your brother, showing next to no emotion at all and never talking anyway, and we _certainly _can't be like you, with so little depth of feeling that you can't shed a single tear over what happened to Yu!"

Aura fixed him with a cold glare. _"For your information, _Madoushi, I don't cry. I never have and I never will, and I've been through a lot worse than this before. Just because someone doesn't turn into a weepy-eyed wreck doesn't mean that they don't care about things. And I'll thank you to keep my brother out of this. Besides, it's probably best for all of _you _that I can keep my head at times like these! Who else would've gotten you out of that place, with you all milling around like a bunch of stupid cows?"

"Stop it!"

Kiri and Aura both turned; it was Lisa.

The healer was standing up, red-faced, her hands balled into fists as she shifted her hurt-filled glare to first one, then the other, of the combatants.

"How can you even _think _of doing something so selfish as arguing right now? Be _ashamed _of yourselves! We can't afford to spend the only time we can take to rest emotionally ripping each other to pieces! Not everyone can cope with the things that have happened to us through logic or anger. We need each other, because if we don't stand together we'll be killed out here!" She sat back down and curled up, tucking her face into her knees. "I can't take any more of your hatred… I feel sick…"

Kiri stared at her, pale-faced and stricken. "I… I'm sorry…"

There was a long silence, in which Kaze reached out and set a hand on Lisa's shoulder.

"Lisa's right, you two," Fabula said softly, then got up and sat back down in between Kiri and Aura, slinging an arm around each of them. "We've got to hold on to each other, because we're all we have now."

Kiri sighed. "I-I know… it's just… I… I was his teacher. I should've been there, should've done something… shouldn't have fallen for such a stupid trap…"

"I _was _there," Aura said softly, hoarsely. "And I couldn't do anything."

Nothing else was spoken for the remainder of the night.

---

The next few days also went by in relative silence.

Battles were fought mechanically; camps were set halfheartedly. Kiri withdrew into himself, surrounding himself with cutting hatred and blame. All he cared to see was that with each passing day, their party drew closer and closer to the lake Aura had mentioned—Teros—and so they grew closer to the country's capital city, Ivalice… and with it, somewhere Ai could stay until the worst of the Heartless' threat had passed.

Kiri noticed in a vague way that Fabula and Aura had taken charge of the party in the absence of his usual driven leadership; the two women kept them on track as he retreated further and further into his shame, as Ai continued to ride the chocobo in a wordless state of shock, and as Kaze and Lisa held their somber silence. Ordinarily, Aura's usurping his unspoken position would have vexed him greatly—it was a sign of how far he'd let himself slip that he didn't really care.

The wide lake that pooled from most of the rivers in the country loomed on the horizon, getting closer and closer.

And their party might have continued along their path, and into disaster, if fate had not intervened.

For that was where they found the boy.

---

They'd stopped then, almost at the edge of the rough sand line, to rest before setting up a campsite when Ai broke the state of silence she'd held ever since they'd left the waystation where her brother had been taken from her.

"Hey…" Turning towards the water, she frowned. "There's… someone on the beach…!"

"What do you mean, _'someone on the beach'?" _Lisa asked, staring.

_"Look!" _Ai insisted, pointing. "Lying in the water… I think they're hurt…"

Kiri squinted, shading his eyes against the glare of the fading light on the lake's water. "…Yeah, there's someone there… but whoever it is, I think he's dead. He's half in the lake by now, and he's not moving at all."

"No _way! _He can't be dead!" And just like that, Ai was off running.

Kiri groaned. "Oh, come _on. _You've got to be kidding."

"I'm with you on _that _one," Aura said flatly, rolling her eyes. "Does she absolutely _have _to play Little Miss Good Samaritan now? It could be dangerous, but does she even stop to _think _about that? _Noooo…"_

"Let's at least be glad that she's responding to things again," Lisa attempted with an awkward smile. "And what if that person really is alive, and needs our help?"

"Whatever…"

"Hey, you guys, come on!" Ai yelled from the water's edge. "He's still breathing! Somebody help me over here!"

The person in the water turned out to be a boy who appeared to be in his early teens—about Ai's age, or maybe a little bit older. He had light teal hair just a little bluer than the waters of the sea, arranged almost as Yu's had been but with a soft wave to it that stopped just short of a flounce. His complexion was soft but deadly pale, with a child's perfect, translucent skin and highly expressive-looking lips and thin brows. There was strength in that face that kept him from seeming too delicate, even in his helpless position. Though his clothes were soaking wet and torn in places, Kiri could tell that they had originally been very well-made—they seemed to be some kind of uniform in deep blue, consisting of pants and a waistcoat over a white shirt, as well as sturdy black boots. Even soaking wet, Kiri could see that the pants had once had a razor-sharp fold; the waistcoat had beautifully wrought buttons of a metal he didn't recognize with a bright gold sheen, as well as gold braid over the shoulders and a lovingly stitched insignia along the collar, on either side of the white ruff it framed—it looked to Kiri almost like a heart, but it was black with what seemed like a red, serrated X through it. In his hand, the boy clasped the hilt of a very strange-looking sword with a black and twisted blade, and cords of an unusual material wrapped around and around it straight to its killing point.

"I don't see any injuries…" Lisa said slowly, gently probing the boy's body after tugging him out of the water's reach. "Still, there seems to be something wrong with him. I'll see what I can do." And she took out her staff, lowering its crystal to his chest and closing her eyes in concentration.

But just as the crystal started to glow, there was a sudden flash, sending sparks of power crawling all over the staff as though the healing Lisa had tried to emit had been reflected. Lisa herself let out a short, surprised cry and jerked back.

"Lisa, what's the matter?"

Lisa turned her suspicious gaze on the boy. "There's something… something inside him, that won't let me do anything to heal him. I couldn't even maintain contact long enough to find out what it is that's causing him so much pain. All we can do now, it seems, is try to nurse him back to health manually, and try to dry him down."

Ai sat by the stranger's side all through the work everyone else had to do to get camp set.

Despite himself, Kiri had to smile.

---

Darkness had fallen several hours ago when the strange boy stirred.

"…Father…" he half-moaned, shuddering into wakefulness, then giving a slight gasp.

"It's okay," Ai said instantly, worry a hard knot in her chest. "You're in a safe place."

"Who… are you…?" he asked, blinking, still very disoriented.

She tried a smile, but it trembled. "My name's Ai Hayakawa. We found you on the shores of Lake Teros and you've been at our camp ever since." She turned around and waved to the others. "Hey, he's awake!"

Lisa, on the other side of the fire, gave her a brief smile. "I'll be there in a minute," she called, then turned back to Kaze—apparently she'd been in the middle of giving him another change of bandages, though the injury to his shoulder had almost healed by now.

Kiri, who'd been the closest, scooted over and crossed his arms, glancing down at the boy with his eyebrows raised and a distinctly unimpressed expression. "Good morning, or should I say good night. I was just about ready to write you off when we found you half-drowned earlier today, but there you go. Guess it just goes to show you, it's not always good to assume things."

"Kiri, knock it off." Fabula shoved him out of the way. "Don't mind him. We're glad to see you awake—Lisa, our healer, thought it would take longer for you to recover. How are you feeling?"

The boy edged up on his elbows and gave her a wan smile. "Well enough, thank you. …What are you doing all the way out here, if it's not too much to ask?"

"We're headed for Ivalice," Kiri informed him. "What about you?"

The boy's face fell; his voice became suddenly grave. "I… don't think it's safe for anyone to go there. Not anymore. The town was overrun by Heartless quite some time ago… and after my father disappeared, they took the bastion as well."

Silence fell as his audience absorbed the impact of his words. It was Aura who caught the peculiarity of them, and frowned as she looked at him.

"…Your father?"

He blinked at her.

"You lived in Ivalice?" Lisa ventured.

"I… yes. Yes, I did," he said, taken aback.

"So I guess we can take your words on this, then…" She frowned. "I don't believe I caught your name—I'm sorry."

"I didn't say… it's Clear. Everyone knows me as Clear."

Lisa and Fabula exchanged bewildered glances, then turned back to the boy, visibly impressed.

"Did we miss something?" Kiri asked sardonically.

"Clear? You're… _the _Clear?" Ai said incredulously, looking down at their charge with something that was almost disbelief on her face.

The boy sighed. "Yes."

"Clear _who?" _Aura wanted to know.

Fabula covered a smile with one hand, and pointed at Clear with the other. "Clear Omega—the son of King Ansem the Wise, and crown prince of this land."

---

"Actually, Ansem the Wise isn't my birth father," Clear said almost apologetically. "He married my mother when I was very young—my real father died before I was born, or so I've always been told. But even after my mother passed away, he's always treated me like I was his own son… he's been very kind to me."

After helping Clear to sit against several rolled-up blankets and bedrolls, the party had arranged itself around the young man in order to listen to his tale.

"As you probably know, my father… has done a lot of research on the Heartless these past years, ever since they began attacking our people. He's done as much good as he can, and I think a lot of people have their lives to thank for the things he found out.

"But just a few years ago—about when the Heartless started attacking en masse, and we started to lose word of other cities—strange things began to happen. My father had always put a lot of effort into his research, but around then he started to completely bury himself in it. Days went by sometimes without my ever seeing him once, and when I did catch sight of him, he always seemed distracted somehow. He was acting so oddly, I just couldn't figure it out. He seemed like an entirely different person sometimes—he was so obsessed with learning about Heartless, the darkness and the light, something he called Nobodies, and the true nature of hearts themselves.

"About a month before the bastion fell, he disappeared completely…

"When the Heartless attacked us, I was trapped in a room with them, and I thought it was all over… but here I am now, and I'm alive and well. I don't understand it. Everything from then up until now is just a big blank… but I know that a lot of time has passed, because the day the Heartless finally broke through our defenses, it was snowing outside.

"I don't know what's going on, or what's happened to me. But I do know that you can't go to Ivalice—it's just not safe there for anyone anymore."

---

"So what do we do now?"

Clear had lapsed back into sleep; Ai was still hovering anxiously at his side. Everyone else had gathered back into a circle around the fire, speaking in hushed tones.

"Well, now that Ivalice is out of the question, we'll have to head back south—Conkram is closer to where we are than Port Bellebane, so we'll head there for starters," Fabula said after consulting their map. "But right now, what we _really _need is a place where we can stay for Clear to rest. I don't think he's up to traveling just yet—what about you, Lisa?"

The healer shook her head. "It doesn't seem so," she agreed, sounding doubtful. "Then again, I still can't use my magic to see what's really wrong with him, and my Kigenjutsu isn't doing much good here either."

"There should be some kind of theater not too far from here," Aura said, taking the map from Fabula and pointing to a smaller dot close to the right edge. "It's just a little ways out of the way to Conkram, and it'll be little more than a pit stop if we decide to stick to the road. Two to one it's abandoned, and it's not exactly the kind of place you'd expect travelers to stop, so I don't think that bitch and her cohorts will have set up any nasty surprises for us there."

Kiri shook his head. "Well, I certainly hope not. We've all got enough to deal with already." He turned to Kaze. "What about you? Do you have any problems with this?"

Kaze considered him for a long moment before replying. "…No."

"Good. Then it's settled. Let's get going as soon as morning rolls around."

---

She'd been sitting and staring into the distance, brooding too deeply for sleep to come, when he finally approached her.

"What's wrong?"

Lisa started, then whirled around where she sat to see that Kaze was now beside her, looking down at her with concern in those fathomless blue eyes.

"What do you mean…?" she asked a little nervously, unable to keep herself from the habitual awkward laugh with which she tried to deflect anything she wasn't comfortable with.

Kaze just gave her a _look, _then reached out to touch her face. "Stop that," he said softly, though not unkindly. "Don't laugh when you're worrying."

Lisa fell silent, utterly dumbstruck, and blushed deeply. It took her a few moments in order to regain enough composure to speak, even after Kaze removed the hand. "It's that boy… Clear. Something about all of this just isn't right… I _know _it. Even with the corruption in _your _heart, I can still work with you if I'm careful. But something… something is tainting that boy so badly that none of my power can reach him; when I tried to heal him before, it felt forcing magnets with the same charge together, or trying to mix oil and water. It's scaring me. I've never experienced anything like this before, and I don't know what to do.

"But even though I know there's something strange about all this… I really do want to help him, Kaze, and it hurts when I can't…"

Lisa felt the hot, bitter tightness rise in her throat and gave a short, pained sigh, covering her eyes with her hand. Frustration and embarrassment wrestled with that dark, insidious sense of failure inside her; her desperate attempts to fight back tears felt as pathetic as trying to blow out a bonfire.

A sharp pulse of surprise like an electric shock hit her full in the chest as she found herself pulled into a gentle one-armed embrace. Perhaps that surprise was what kept her from pulling away like any _sane _person who didn't want to get involved with her patient would've done; instead, she leaned into Kaze's shoulder, winding her fingers into the soft fabric of his mantle and relaxing into the reassuring solidity of his chest.

She sat there for a long time, nearly clinging, as Kaze held her patiently, the tips of his fingers in a calming, almost absentminded stroke through her hair, until the memory of the old habit surfaced, making her smile. Feeling the weight slide off her shoulders, she sat up and gave Kaze a warm look. "Thank you. You know, back when I was still going to the healers' university in the south, I had a friend who always used to do the exact same thing when I had a breakdown, and it always helped. You remind me of him right now." Seeing the bewildered look come over Kaze's face, she couldn't help but giggle at the purely male helplessness of his expression. "Oh—he wasn't _that _kind of friend! We did go out once or twice, but we decided it wasn't working and decided to just keep things the way they were. He stayed with the Hayakawas for a while like I did, but he left not long after the Heartless started to appear." Lisa sighed. "I wonder sometimes what happened to him, but I'm sure he's all right. He can take care of himself, after all." Catching herself, she shook her head and laughed again, starting to blush. "I'm sorry. I must really be boring you with all this—never mind me."

Kaze shook his head and smiled. "No. It's fine."

Lisa knew she shouldn't have, but the rest of her seemed fine with her heart's deciding to ignore that nagging voice in the back of her mind. Knowing that she was going too far towards destroying the healer-and-patient relationship that she and Kaze were supposed to have—and not caring in the least—she eased back against his side and closed her eyes.

She knew that so long as she had his support, she would be able to weather out the storm of the pain that they were all going through.

And deep, deep down inside her heart, the tight bud of affection began to bloom.

---

"Are you sure about this?" Clear asked for the umpteenth time, looking down from his perch atop the chocobo. "I'm sure I could walk, at least for a little while…"

"Don't worry about it," Ai insisted, shaking her head and tugging at the big bird's halter to keep it moving along the road. "You need the rest more than I do, anyway."

"But—" Clear shook his head, now starting to seem distinctly embarrassed as the slightest hint of a blush crept across his pale face. "This just doesn't feel right…"

"Don't waste your chivalry," Kiri advised him, coming up to walk beside Ai. "This one's too stubborn. If she wants to walk, she'll walk, and if you waffle about it too much, she'll probably plant an arrow in your butt for good measure."

"Shut up, Kiri!" Ai yelled, her face as pink as her hair.

"Besides, just think how undignified it would be to try to walk just to impress the lady, then end up falling on your face," the red-haired swordsman pointed out, ignoring Ai completely.

Fabula, ahead of them, smiled and shook her head at their banter. Turning to Aura, she tapped the other girl's shoulder and pointed, grinning. "And normalcy returns."

Aura snorted and rolled her eyes, but that crooked smile started to twist her lips nonetheless.

"I'm glad, though—I really was starting to worry about them this time," she continued. "They both took it so hard."

"Well, it's only natural," Aura said with a shrug. "Of course you'd expect it from the kid, but you know, Madoushi's a pretty emotional guy when you get down to it."

Fabula hid a laugh behind her hand. "True!"

"Hey… is this the place?" Lisa asked suddenly, pointing and drawing everyone's attention.

"Looks like it," Aura replied at length. "…But wow, what a wreck."

Kiri frowned up at the big building. At one time, he supposed, it truly must have been magnificent—between brick and wood sections of the walls and the large sign out front in a language he couldn't read, and what had obviously been an attempt at landscaping, in its heyday this theater or whatever would've been beautiful. But the paint on the sign was fading and peeling, the bushes and flowers were overgrown, and ivy had crawled over the brick parts of the walls.

To all appearances, the place was completely abandoned.

Still, it was best to make sure.

Slowly, Kiri turned to the others. "…Well?" he asked with an expectant expression.

Lisa closed her eyes and held out her hands. "I can sense the spirit of something living inside that place, but it doesn't seem malevolent."

Aura cocked her head to the side and frowned, looking like she was listening for something. "…There're a few Heartless, but I can't feel anything really bad in there."

Kiri sighed. "Okay, then, we'd best get in there before something nasty comes up on us standing around and decides it's a nice opportunity." With that, he headed down the path towards the old theater; in twos and threes, the others followed him.

---

Once the party was safely inside the building with the doors closed behind them, Lisa held up her staff and said a few words which caused the crystal to glow softly, giving them enough luminance to see by.

Slowly, carefully, Clear slid out of Chobi's saddle, then promptly stumbled once he had his feet on the ground. Luckily for him, Ai was close enough to reach out and steady him.

"See? I told you so. You should still be riding."

"But he needs a break," Clear protested feebly, pointing at the tired-looking chocobo. "I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine… really."

Ai shook her head at him, but didn't say anything.

"The architecture really is beautiful," Fabula murmured, looking around. "I would've liked to stop by this place while it was still running, if only to see what it looked like in its glory days."

"I think it was a pretty popular place once," Lisa volunteered. "I remember hearing something about it a long time ago. And after all, it's the only theater marked on the map."

As the rest of their party looked around, Kaze happened to glance into the corridor ahead, and let out a short cry, lurching back.

"There's… someone there…" he said, wide-eyed, as the others turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" Ai asked, but Kaze was already heading deeper in.

Wearing expressions that ranged from worry to exasperation, everyone else followed him.

"I don't see anybody here, Kaze-niisan," Aura told her brother doubtfully.

Kaze was standing in the wide parlor, looking around with an uncertain frown on his face. "For a moment I thought…"

"What is it?" Lisa asked gently.

Kaze hesitated, then shook his head. "…No. It's nothing."

Aura gave him a _look. _"Kaze-niisan, need I remind you of the _last _time you said 'it's nothing' when something was bothering you?" she asked him in razor-edged tones.

Kaze didn't respond.

"…You're impossible," she pronounced irritably, flinging her arms up in the air.

"At any rate, let's head up to the second floor," Fabula suggested. "There might be somewhere we can rest there. Okay?"

"Sure—let's take the staircase over there," Kiri said, pointing to one of the sweeping sets of stairs that flanked the open hall, then immediately began to take his own advice.

Circling around the doors that led into the theater shell itself, the group came to a corridor which seemed to lead to the personal quarters and practice rooms of the performers who had worked and in some cases lived there. Having found nothing of interest yet, they trailed inside, with Kiri back in the lead, to the unspoken relief of quite a few of his companions. It was definitely good to see him taking charge again…

The silence of the corridor was broken when something clicked.

Kiri had just enough time to come to a halt and start to frown when a good portion of the floor gave way beneath him, and he dropped to land in a deep pit that had lain beneath the floorboards with a sharp yelp of surprise and pain.

"Kiri, are you alright?" Lisa called, kneeling at the edge and looking down at him.

Kiri's only reply was a low, disoriented groan.

"Look at this," Aura said, pointing to a part of the floor. As the others watched, she knelt and pressed down on the spot she'd pointed to with both hands; part of the floor depressed with the same clicking sound they'd heard before. "It's a switch—I bet someone stepped on this right before that trap opened up."

"Why would anyone booby-trap a _theater?" _Ai demanded shrilly, staring. "That's just not safe! This place isn't _normal!"_

Clear, meanwhile, had gone over to peer down at Kiri alongside Lisa. "Madoushi-san, can you stand?"

Fabula joined them. "Yeah, Kiri—if you aren't hurt, you might want to get back up here. You should be able to fly back up, right?"

"Y-yeah… okay." Down at the bottom of the hole, Kiri started to stand, but as soon as he tried to rest part of his weight on his left foot, he gasped and crumpled, clutching at his ankle. "Oh, _God…"_

"What's wrong?"

Kiri shuddered violently, shaking his head as he looked back up at his companions. "I… can't stand. Think I've sprained it, or worse." His breath was coming in jagged gasps, and he was speaking through teeth gritted against the pain. _"God…" _It was half-sigh and half-sob.

Back up in the corridor, Lisa shook her head. "This isn't good. I don't know if there's any way we can get him up out of there… I don't suppose anyone has any rope, do they?"

Fabula sighed. "Well, Kiri and I brought some from Mystaria, but that was in one of the bags that got left behind in the Heartless attack at Garoh. We should've gotten more somewhere, damn it. And it could take days to go find some somewhere else."

Just as Aura was about to speak, the sound of footsteps made them all turn towards the opposite end of the long corridor, and the figures that were approaching them from around a bend in the hallway there.

Down in the pit, Kiri wasn't aware of much but the wrenching pain that had started in his ankle but was now screaming all through his left side where his second fall had cramped his muscles. But the unfamiliar voices drew even his attention, and through the haze of agony he looked up to see vague impressions of strange faces with fair coloring as those voices called out in turn.

_"Mon Dieu! _Raoul, hurry!" A girl's voice, with a soft accent that Kiri didn't recognize, peaked with shock and worry.

A man's voice came next, but Kiri couldn't make out words this time. However, he heard the sharp sliding sound that followed it, and stared incredulously at the thick, knotted rope that slowly descended to a level where he could take hold of it.

Grateful but puzzled, Kiri did so, pulling himself into a standing position. Able to support his weight with his handhold, he didn't wait for the strangers to haul him up, but carefully pushed off, feeling the stagnant air below him slowly catch beneath his cloak as he drifted back to his companions. However, _landing _with one foot was even more difficult than his takeoff had been, and he found himself sprawled across the floor with Fabula, Lisa, Ai, and Clear all hovering over him.

"Are you alright?"

It was the girl who he'd heard before. Still half-wincing, Kiri turned until he could look back across the wide gap in the floor.

She was young, and crouched there with her small white hands clenched on the folds of her long, full skirts. Her dress looked secondhand and its pattern was faded and indistinct, but the long blonde hair and sleet-blue eyes that dominated her slender, earnest face were clearly very beautiful. Kiri judged her to be about Kumo's age—maybe seventeen at most. There was a lot of genuine worry to her countenance, but Kiri didn't miss the guilt in the way she gripped her skirts. _Guilty for what? _he wondered. _Does she have something to do with this hole in the floor?_

The man next to her was her senior by a few years, with gray-blue eyes under dark hawkish brows and straight dirty-blonde hair pulled into a horsetail. His clothing looked a little more worn than the girl's, but Kiri could tell that the original quality had most likely been better. He, too, looked concerned, although his stare was wary and his eyes flickered along Kiri and his party as if to determine whether or not they posed a threat. There was a thin silver rapier thrust through the side of his belt, and from the way it rested there, Kiri was willing to bet that he knew how to use it, too.

"Kiri, let me see your ankle," Lisa murmured.

"What? Oh, yeah." Very carefully, Kiri rolled into a sitting position, and tore his attention away from the strangers to Lisa as she gently laid her fingertips along the sides of his injured ankle, wincing as she probed it and unable to completely bite back the cry of pain that tore out of him as she tried to rotate it.

"I thought so… you broke it when you fell." Sighing, Lisa brought her staff around. "Let's see if we can't start this off to a good healing, now."

"Will I be able to walk on it then?" Kiri asked uneasily.

"No, but you can ride on Chobi-chan, seeing as Clear has been able to walk just fine so far."

Kiri sighed and head-slumped. "Why does this stuff always have to happen to _me?"_ he complained in aggrieved tones.

"I'm sorry," the girl from across the gap said to them. "We've kept ourselves safe from the Heartless so far with these traps, but we never thought that humans would come this way and get hurt here. My name is Christine—I used to be a performer here. This is my old friend Raoul."

"Charmed," Raoul said stiffly, still sizing up the intruders to his domain.

"You worked here?" Ai asked, intrigued. "Is there anyone else still here, too?"

Christine shook her head sadly. "No… it's just the two of us now." Looking from face to face, she stood up and curtsied to them. "I think we owe you an explanation—come across and we'll take you upstairs, where we can talk to you safely. You look like you need the rest."

(TBC)


	22. Chorale Brillante

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the prelude)

"Please, sit down here," Christine urged, gesturing to one of the thick mattresses laid along the edge of the wall even as she regarded Kiri with worried, regretful eyes. As she and Raoul looked on, Ai and Clear managed to maneuver the chocobo over, so that Kiri, who'd ridden sidesaddle up to the pair's hiding place, could manage to slide off and collapse onto it without risking any further damage to his already injured ankle.

As Lisa headed over to him with a roll of linen, a short length of wood, and her staff, Christine gestured helplessly. "I know it isn't much… but please make yourselves comfortable. I'll try to keep this as simple as I can, although it begins long before the Heartless even appeared here."

"Believe me, we've stayed in far worse places," Aura told her emphatically. "And besides, beggars can't be choosers. We take what we can."

"That's true enough for everyone these days," Raoul agreed, finally seeming to relax a little as he slumped into a spindly-looking chair in the corner of the room. "Although we didn't expect anyone to wander in here—we didn't think that there would be any travelers left, with the state of the world today."

"We're looking for his brother's heart," Ai told them, pointing to Kiri. "And we've been searching for a while now, so we're more or less used to the road by now."

"But, Ai, what about…?" Lisa began, concerned, turning to the girl with a look of surprise.

"That doesn't matter anymore," the girl said decisively. "If the Heartless were after Yu, then they probably want me, too, so no matter where I try to hide, they'll come after me, and eventually it'll be too much for anyone who tries to protect me. And besides, with everything they've done, I don't _want _to find someplace safe to stay anymore. Yu's my little brother—if there's any way I can help him by supporting Kiri, then I want to do it."

"Ai…" Lisa had never heard her talk like that before. She seemed almost adult…

_"Lisa, _I just _can't _keep running away after everything I've seen," Ai pleaded. "Look at the way the Heartless keep making everyone suffer! I want to fight for Yu, and for Lou and everyone else! I don't want what's happened to people like Clear to happen to anybody, ever again!"

"You have to admit, she's got a point," Aura said with a slow smile.

Kiri sighed and shook his head. "It's only fair. If I get to fight against the things that took my brother away, then why shouldn't she be able to do the same?"

Despite herself, Lisa gave them all a sad smile. "You might be right… but this isn't the time to decide something like that now. Once we get to Conkram, we'll be able to talk this over in more detail…" She turned back to Kiri. "Anyway, try to hold still for a while—I'm going to put your ankle in a splint, okay? It'll keep it straight until it starts to heal."

Kiri gave her a long-suffering sigh. "Is it really going to take that long?"

"With my help, healing should only take it about a week until you can rest your weight on it, but it's best to be safe, wouldn't you say?"

As Kiri rolled his eyes and groaned, Raoul and Christine exchanged smiles.

"It seems like you've been through a lot, too," Christine said softly.

"If we end up staying long, we can give you more of an explanation," Fabula offered. "Anyway, isn't it your turn now?"

Christine looked to Raoul, who nodded.

"Most of this story is yours to tell," he said to her, gesturing for her to go ahead and speak.

"All right." She turned back to them. "Well, to keep it short, I've lived in this place ever since I was a young girl, and I've been performing in the operas that have been put on here almost as long. For years, I've stayed here in the company of my two best friends… Raoul, whom you've already met, and Erik.

"Things didn't change too much when the Heartless first began to appear. Some of the performers fled to safer havens, and of course our audience dwindled somewhat, but the rest of us believed that our ability to create a happy illusion in which people could immerse themselves had become even more important, considering what was happening in the outside world. For a time we went on like that… working, believing… pretending.

"And then, just a few years ago, something changed—the Heartless started to become dangerous in a way they just hadn't been before."

Raoul took up the thread of the story here. "There were attacks on almost every large city in our country, and news from other countries stopped arriving. The Heartless sometimes came here, too, and since we had very few people who could fight, it was always devastating when they did—dozens of people died, had their hearts taken, every time they appeared here."

"Erik was the one who came up with the solution," Christine put in. "By that time there were only a few of us left, and no one was around to protest his ideas. He was never quite like the rest of us—even though Raoul and I were born in lands far from this one, Erik was supposedly born very far away from both here and our own homeland. He was a genius—musically, architecturally… and his plan saved us all."

"Then your friend… was the one who created that trap?" Lisa ventured.

Christine nodded. "And many others like it. Even though there were casualties during the construction, we kept going, and eventually it seemed like it was beginning to work. Very few Heartless got around Erik's traps, and he and Raoul continued to patrol the secret passages behind the opera house's walls in order to see what was happening. But then…"

"One day, only a few weeks ago, when Erik was on patrol, he didn't come back." Raoul shook his head. "From then on it's only been the two of us, and we haven't been able to find out what happened to him… by now I'm sure the worst has befallen him." His lips twisted into a bitter smile. "After all… he would never desert Christine."

Kiri looked from Raoul to the distress on Christine's face. _There's a story here that we're not being told, _he realized. _Some kind of love triangle, I bet. _And then he winced, whipping back around to Lisa. "Hey, be careful!"

"I did tell you not to move," Lisa told him, but her voice was apologetic as she tightened the bandages she wrapped along Kiri's ankle. "…I'm sorry, but this might hurt a little bit until you get used to it. I didn't expect you to be this fine-boned—not many men are. Even with the bandages beneath it, this'll jar the bones a bit…"

_"Mystarian," _Kiri reminded her, gritting his teeth as she started to fix the splint. "We're built differently from surface humans, in case you haven't noticed."

Aura snorted. "Still, Madoushi, you sure do have girly ankles."

"Shut up!" Kiri was blushing straight up to his ears. "There's a difference between 'slender' and 'girly', okay! Jeez!"

"That's enough, you two," Fabula chided. As they hushed, she turned back to Raoul and Christine. "And that's just how you've been living ever since?"

Raoul nodded. "That's right. We can never be sure if it's safe to leave this place or not, so…"

Aura shrugged. "Well, there don't seem to be many Heartless around, so you'd probably be fine if you decided to go find better shelter. Actually, when we leave, we can point you in the direction of a church to the southwest of this place where you can probably stay."

"That would be a blessing," Christine said fervently. "We would be eternally grateful if you would be so kind. At any rate, why don't you get some rest now? It would probably be best for us all."

---

Kiri stared up at the ceiling with a resigned sigh. He doubted he would get any sleep at all tonight. Even with the healing Lisa had spelled into it, his ankle was killing him, in no small thanks to the cursed piece of wood she'd splinted against it to keep it straight. Damn it, she'd been right; the joint wasn't thick enough that the splint would be a painless process—it pressed relentlessly against the delicate bones, which were still tender and very much not finished healing yet.

Yes, Kiri had dealt with broken bones before.

It had been hell every single time.

Could he fight through pain? Absolutely—adrenaline took care of it, plus his mind would usually be on other things. Could he meditate through pain? Sure; that had been part of his training, and given enough time, he'd happily float off to a place where things like physical hurt didn't exist.

Could he _sleep _through pain?

Unless it was severe enough to make him pass out or he was completely exhausted… _no._

Kiri groaned and rolled over, giving the still-open door a pained glare and a sulky sigh. It was going to be a long, long night.

And that was when he saw it, or at least thought he did—a wraithlike form ghosting briefly down the corridor, the drift of a moth-eaten mantle and the sweep of unkempt hair.

Kiri promptly forgot about his injuries and jolted up with a yell. But as soon as he tried to stand, he was forcefully reminded—and crumpled to the floor with a sharp, agonized cry.

"What's wrong?"

Inwardly, Kiri cringed—he'd made enough noise that he'd awakened everyone else.

"Did you—_you tried to stand up, didn't you!" _Lisa demanded, going pale. "Kiri, what _possessed_ you? You know better than that!"

Forcing a long breath through gritted teeth, Kiri shook his head. "Never mind that—I saw someone outside the room!"

"What are you talking about?" Christine cried, standing up. "Was it… could it have been Erik?"

"I have no idea—what does he look like?" Kiri asked, even as he winced when Lisa laid forceful hands over his throbbing ankle and began to work healing into it yet again.

"Tall, black hair in a _queue_—a braid—dressed in a black suit?" Christine described hopefully.

"I don't think so… maybe. But I don't know. I don't think so, though."

_"Tell _me that _bitch _did not follow us all the way here," Aura snapped.

"No. Whoever it was, I'm pretty sure it was a guy." Kiri shook his head. "I only got to see him for about a split second, though."

"Indistinct, and dressed in ragged clothes…?" Kiri turned, surprised—it was Kaze, his haunted eyes intense as he waited for the swordsman's reply.

Slowly, Kiri nodded. "I… yeah, that sounds right."

"I saw him too… when we first came here."

"Then it can't be Kara," Fabula said slowly. "She'd have had no way of knowing that we would go here next, no way of knowing at all. Not fast enough to arrive ahead of us, at least."

"Well, either there's somebody else in this place with us who doesn't want to come out and say hello, or you and Kaze-niisan are seeing things," Aura said with a decided shrug. "Either way, there's nothing we can do about it right now, so it'd be a better idea to just go to sleep and wait until morning to go exploring."

"I'm with you," Ai agreed. "I'm tired! What about you, Clear? …Clear?"

Turning, Kiri realized that the quiet boy was sitting hunched over, clutching his head with both hands, intense pain on his face.

"Clear, are you okay?" Ai asked, scooting over to him.

Seeming to realize that she was talking to him, Clear slowly looked up and dropped his hands, sighing and giving her a weak smile. "It's… just a headache… that's all."

Ai gave him a long doubtful look, but she didn't reply.

Lisa sighed, drawing Kiri's attention back to her (as well as his own predicament). "You didn't do anything too bad to it—you were lucky. That was stupid! You could've just called out instead of jumping up to do things by yourself!"

"I'm _sorry. _Jeez." Kiri made a face and levered himself back up onto the bed, wincing a little. "…God, it's even worse now…"

Lisa scowled at him. "Well, what did you expect? This isn't just a little sprain, you know!"

Fabula, who had been watching, saw the slight heave of Kiri's chest as he breathed and the shine of sweat against his skin, and got up, sitting down at his side. "You're not going to be able to get any sleep at all now, are you?" she asked gently.

Biting his lip, Kiri slowly shook his head no.

"Well, we can't have that. You need your rest now more than ever, poor thing." Fabula turned to Lisa, who was starting to fix her own bedroll (aside from Raoul, Christine, and Kiri, everyone was arranged along the floor as there were only three mattresses). "Will it interfere with your work if I sleep him?"

Lisa hesitated, then shook her head. "It shouldn't, not too much."

"Okay, then." Fabula laid her hand on Kiri's forehead. "Close your eyes now, hon—don't try to fight me, either, if you can."

"I don't think—" Kiri said thickly even as he obeyed, but then he felt the pulse of power straight from her palm to his skull, and consciousness dropped away as if it were a rug someone had yanked out from under him.

---

Morning came slowly, with the light barely filtering through the shuttered windows of Raoul and Christine's hiding place.

Though everyone else woke in twos and threes, Kiri remained firmly curled along the mattress he'd appropriated, sleeping deeply and peacefully.

"Why isn't he up yet?" Lisa wondered aloud, sitting at his side and looking him over. "I thought he'd at the least be sleeping fitfully, and from the way he'd been acting, the pain should've awakened him by now…"

Fabula shook her head, smiling. "The spell I used on him is a strong one—he'll be dead to the world a while yet. I _had _planned for him to sleep at least the night through, but you never know with someone of his skill and training if a sleep spell of ordinary strength will work, so I used one that I _knew _would knock him out. And if that keeps him asleep a little longer than usual, it'll be that much better for him, right?"

Lisa smiled back. "That's true!"

Aura stretched until her joints cracked, then turned to Raoul and Christine, who were also awake. "So, hey… just how many booby traps are on this floor of the opera house, anyway?"

Raoul shrugged. "There's at least one for every entrance and flight of stairs, mostly triggered by switches on the floor. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Kaze-niisan and Madoushi _both _saw whoever that person was last night, so I'm inclined to believe that there's actually someone in here," Aura replied. "If that's true, then while we're here we might as well check it out, wouldn't you say?"

Kaze stood and nodded gravely. "…I… have to be sure…"

"I'll go with you," Fabula volunteered. "There isn't that much else to do around here except rest, and I got more than enough sleep last night."

Lisa stood up, brushing off her skirts. "I will, too. It seems as though Kiri will still be asleep for a while, and if anything happens, you'll need a healer with you."

Aura shook her head. "Well, fine, but you'd better not get in the way, Pacifist."

"Do you want Raoul or me to come with you?" Christine asked hesitantly.

Aura turned back to the two of them. "No—you two look like you need a little time to relax, and since we'll be out, we'll weed out any Heartless we find. Just tell us what to look out for so we aren't falling into a million traps, and we'll be fine." Almost as an afterthought, she looked over her shoulder. "Hey, Ai, would you do me a favor?"

The girl glanced up from fixing her hair. "Uh… sure, what is it?"

"Would you stay here and look after Clear, Madoushi, and the chocobo? Just in case something _does _happen here while we're gone, it would be pretty bad if the only one who could defend all of you was Raoul over here."

"Okay." Ai shrugged. "As long as I'm doing _something _to help."

Clear fidgeted, looking uncomfortable. "I really don't want to be a burden…"

"Hey, don't beat yourself up, kid," Aura told him. "There's no way we could've just left you out at the lake. You need a rest, and hell, it's not like Ai is gonna mind looking after you."

"That's right," Fabula agreed. "So, Christine, Raoul—tell us about those traps. If there's any chance that the person Kiri and Kaze saw was your friend Erik, we'll do what we can to find him."

---

It had been almost an hour since everyone had left, and neither Raoul nor Christine was being particularly conversational.

And Ai was getting bored.

Flopping onto her back, she turned to look at Clear, who was sitting next to the window, peering through the gap in the shutters.

"Hey, Clear, what was your family like?"

Clear turned to her in surprise. "Why…?"

Ai made a face. "'Cause I'm _bored, _and it's something to talk about. My parents talked about your dad a lot, but I never met your family, and I wanna know!"

Clear lay down on the floor, propping his face in his hands. "…Okay."

Ai rolled over, kicking her feet in the air. "Well?"

Clear waited for a moment or so before beginning. "I don't remember that much about my mother, but people tell me that I look almost exactly like her. We came to this country when I was very young, and she died a few years after she married the king. Most of the time I can't remember her face, but I have a few memories of her hands and her voice. She liked to play the piano, and she was very quiet. They say that bards wrote ballads to her beauty."

"What happened to her?" Ai asked in a soft voice.

Clear shook his head. "She got sick one day, and never got any better. She just wasted away, but I know that she died peacefully. She was where she wanted to be, and she was satisfied with that." He sighed. "I already told you, I don't know anything about my birth father, but the king, Ansem the Wise, has always been my father in every other sense of the word… in every way that really counts."

"So what about him? What's he like?" Ai probed, wanting to get Clear off the subject of his mother. It hurt to see how wistful he looked when he talked about her, and hearing Clear talking about _his _mother made Ai think about hers.

Clear smiled. "My father never particularly wanted to be a king, he told me sometimes. I think that's why everyone loved him so much. You know how when we're little, we go through this stage where we want to _know _just about _everything _about how the world works for a while?" Ai nodded. "Well, my father never quite left that stage. He was so curious about everything, it was kind of amazing to watch him. That's why he loved science so much, you see—that way, he could learn the things he wanted to know himself. He really enjoyed finding things out and being able to tell my mother and me what he'd learned each day.

"We look nothing alike. He's very tall, with dark skin and white hair, and gold eyes that are passed down through his family with every generation. He had a short beard for a while, but I remember my mother teasing him about it relentlessly until he finally decided to shave it off." Clear laughed as he thought about it, then shook his head. "He was a very fair person, and he treated all his people like the individuals they were. I looked up to him a lot—I wanted to learn to be just like him, since even though I was adopted, I would be king someday."

"You really miss your parents," Ai observed.

Clear nodded simply, and sighed. "I wish there was something I could've done for everyone. I don't know if anyone made it out, or…"

Ai bit her lip, then launched into conversation again. For some reason, she just couldn't stand to see Clear acting so depressed. "So, hey—where'd you get that weird sword? I've never seen one like that before."

Clear blinked at her, then picked it up. "Oh—this?" He turned the twisted blade, examining it. "My father gave it to me, not long ago. He said it was from another land, far away, and that its name is 'Nebilim'."

"Huh." Ai shrugged. "It's cool that he did that for you."

But before Clear could reply, a groan from behind them made them both turn. Kiri, it seemed, was starting to wake up.

"Oh, God, what in the world…?" the swordsman asked, sounding disoriented. Pushing his hair out of his face, he slowly sat up, then started to turn to get out of bed.

"Hey, don't!" Ai yelled. "You're just gonna get hurt again!"

Kiri stared at her for a few seconds, blinking. "Wha—_oh. _Oh, right, that." He shook his head, then flopped back over, bouncing a little on the mattress. "Damnit. …Hey, where is everybody?"

"They went off to find that person you saw last night," Ai informed him.

Observing the sulky look on the swordsman's face, Clear made a face and jumped in. "They only left without you because they didn't want you to hurt yourself worse," he tried.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But still…"

"You can at least _try _to be adult about it," Ai scolded. "Jeez!"

Kiri pouted; Clear laughed.

---

"So, Kaze-niisan, why are you so worried about this, anyway?"

Kaze turned to his sister with a startled look on his face. "…What do you mean…?"

Aura crossed her arms and glared at him. "I mean you're acting awfully weird about this whole thing. Do you think I wouldn't notice that? Something's got your hackles up. Why is that? Whatever this is, even without Madoushi, we should have the strength to take care of it ourselves."

"I…" Kaze shook his head. "…Don't worry."

"Don't be like that," Aura snapped. "It drives me _insane _when you just try to pretend that there's nothing wrong when there definitely is!"

"…"

"Kaze, _please," _Lisa said from his other side, making both the taciturn gunner and his sister start and stare. "Aura is right. If there's anything we can do, any way we can help… please, let us know. We don't like having to see you suffer on your own…"

"You know how I _hate _to admit it, but Pacifist has a point," Aura told him. "At least accept the fact that we care about you and what you're going through!"

Kaze turned from Lisa to his sister and back again, silent, a tormented look on his face. But just as he began to speak, Fabula yelled, drawing the attention of all three of them.

"Hey!"

"What is it?" Aura demanded, her guns leaping into her hands.

"I just saw someone further down this corridor," Fabula told them, pointing. "He turned a corner somewhere, though, so I only caught a glimpse. Whoever it is, I don't think it's Raoul and Christine's friend Erik. They looked to be about Kaze's height, and they were wearing a cloak, which made it hard to tell anything about them."

Kaze swore, going pale. "I _knew _it."

"Kaze… what is it…?" Lisa ventured, taken aback at the mixed fear and hatred on his face.

But instead of answering her, Kaze took out his shotgun and charged down the corridor, taking sharp lunging steps that left the girls struggling to keep up.

"Damnit, Kaze-niisan—"

But before Aura could finish her sentence, he ground to a halt, staring down the corridor with his gun leveled at the adversary he seemed to fear so.

As Aura finally reached him, she turned, and let out a yell of shock.

She had seen that face once before—in the doomed castles of Garoh, as she and Kiri had fought fiercely to save their comrades from a fate worse than death.

It was a face that had no right to exist.

"What the hell is _that _thing doing here?" she demanded of no one in particular, pointing the muzzle of one of her revolvers at the ragged specter that wore a fallacy of her brother's form.

Lisa, behind the protective triad of her companions, stared at the creature across the hall from them with mingled horror and disgust. "What _is _that thing…? I've never sensed a spirit this evil before…"

In response, the thing took a step towards them with a dark grin, spreading its hands in a half-shrug. "I am but a mirror of your heart," it told them, and even its voice resembled Kaze's, though it was darker, raspier, than his had ever been. "A foretelling of what you will be one day, you might say."

_"No," _Kaze all but shouted. Aura glanced at him and saw with alarm that he was so tense that he was actually trembling. "Never!"

The mirror-Kaze's smile widened. "Embrace the darkness," it said, continuing to advance slowly. "Or, if you like, fight against it. Either way, the end result will be the same—you will one day be just as I am now."

"Why don't you shut the hell _up!" _Aura yelled, lunging forward.

The mirror-Kaze smirked.

And just as Aura swung her guns up to fire, tongues of a darkness that looked like the material from which the Heartless were formed made liquid sprang from the walls, lancing towards her.

Lisa reacted just in time, molding the spirits in the air around them into a bubble-like shield that was able to deflect the shadow-things' attacks.

The mirror-Kaze's smirk grew…

…and he turned in a whirl of torn cloak and unkempt hair, sweeping down another corridor.

"Where the hell does that thing think _it's _going!" Aura demanded. "Come on—we can't let it just run off like that!"

"Agreed—let's go," Fabula said with a crisp nod, spinning her chakrams in the air.

---

The chocobo was the first of them to sense that something wasn't quite right.

With a loud "Kweh!" it stood up and glared at the doorway, flaring out its wings.

"What's up with _you?" _Ai wanted to know, but before the chocobo could "answer", a low groan from Clear distracted her.

When she turned to look, she saw that the boy was hunched over with his eyes closed tightly and his hands to the sides of his head, tangled tightly in his hair with their knuckles pure white.

"Clear…?" she said softly, touching at his shoulder as her eyes started to widen.

"What's going on?" Christine asked in a worried voice. "What's wrong?"

"Look," Raoul said simply, dread dragging at his voice as he pointed towards the door. Though it was still midday, darkness was weaving through the corridor—darkness with pairs of golden eyes flashing here and there amidst its nebulous mass.

"I thought you guys said that your friend's traps had always kept the Heartless _out _of here," Kiri demanded in a flat, aggravated tone even as he edged to the side of the mattress he lay on.

"Please, don't get up," Christine implored. "Your ankle won't be able to bear your weight!"

"Well, one of us has got to do _something," _Kiri pointed out.

"There don't seem to be that many of them," Raoul said, drawing his rapier. "Let me handle this. Getting you hurt isn't going to help us, after all."

"Raoul, wait—" Christine was staring into the Heartless creeping towards them with an anxious look on her suddenly-pale face.

"What is it?" he asked her, puzzled.

"There's just something… something about all this…" The blonde girl shook her head, pressing her lips together. "I've got a really bad feeling…"

There was a sudden squeal, and all of them turned to see that Ai was standing with her bow leveled at her shoulder with a defiant spark in her stance. Apparently, she'd just nailed a Heartless that had gotten a little too close to where the rest of them were.

"I'll _kill _any of them if they try to get in here," she declared vehemently, an aggressive edge that Kiri had only begun to hear in her voice after what had happened to her brother. "I won't let anyone else get hurt the way that my friends have been!"

Kiri stared at her in wonder, then smiled.

"That's the spirit," he told her. "No matter what they're trying to do, if we worry too much about it, they'll have already won. We all have to do what we can."

Chobi the chocobo, still standing with flared wings, let out a loud "kweh!" of agreement.

"Just stay back, Christine," Raoul instructed. "I swear on my life, I'll protect you."

---

The mirror-Kaze ghosted through the hallways far ahead of his pursuers, allowing them only glimpses of his moldering cloak around each bend he turned, time and time again. And though the real Kaze and his companions ran after the specter as fast as they could, the mirror-Kaze kept leaving them unwanted presents in the form of Heartless and attacking shadow-things to keep slowing them down.

Still, even if they weren't gaining, they were holding their own.

"I think it's heading for the terrace on the roof," Fabula shouted as the four of them turned a bend and found themselves in front of another staircase. "We should be able to corner it there, if we hurry!"

And in what seemed like only a few moments, Kaze and Aura were blasting their way through a door which led them straight into open air—a flat section of roof, framed by a decorative but flimsy-looking iron-worked railing with the sharp angle of shingled roof rising behind them, and the mirror-Kaze waiting before them with that same devilish smile, framed against a sun that was just beginning to set.

"You can't run," Aura snapped, pointing at it. "Now give us some answers! Who are you _really, _and what do you want with all those pure hearts you've been after?"

The mirror-Kaze looked at her, amused. "I came here in the service of my master, to assist his other followers in securing the things he asks of us. Nothing more, nothing less—what my master demands, I shall deliver."

"And just who do you mean by 'master'?" Aura demanded. "That Kara bitch? Or Azrael Astaroth?"

The mirror-Kaze laughed.

"I think you'd better answer the question," Fabula asserted, holding out a chakram.

"Why are you taking Kaze's form?" Lisa asked suddenly, making the others turn to her. "Why victimize him? He's already been through more than enough because of what you and your comrades have done! There has to be some reason!"

The mirror-Kaze simply shrugged. "He himself has given me the power to take this form by stepping onto the path he has chosen. Now, I am little more than a reflection of what he will become if he continues to let the darkness corrupt his heart."

Aura drew in a sharp gasp, going pale. "What is that thing talking about!" she demanded, turning to face her brother and Lisa. "Tell me it isn't true! Tell me that every time you've had to summon, you haven't really been…!"

Kaze, plainly grieved, closed his eyes and dropped his head in a brief, succinct nod.

Grinning now, the mirror-Kaze began to advance, both hands outstretched. "But, of course, your _dear _brother is the one who let the darkness into his heart in the first place… it's just a matter of time now before this is all that will be left of him… it's something that he won't be able to fight, no matter what he or any of you tries to do…"

"You're wrong!" Lisa cried suddenly, trembling with emotion. "I _know _there's some way that we'll be able to help him someday!"

"That's right," Aura yelled, swinging back to the mirror-Kaze. "We choose our own destinies—and we won't _let _Kaze-niisan be consumed by the darkness!"

The mirror-Kaze seemed to find this highly amusing. "And to think, that _you _would say such a thing!" And he burst out laughing.

"Just what's so funny?" Aura demanded, but Fabula put a hand on her shoulder to silence her.

"We've got company," the Guide announced, gesturing around. Heartless had begun to appear along the railing, and the dark material which seemed to be at the mirror-Kaze's command swam around them.

Lisa reacted first. Raising her staff into the air, she cried "Diara!" and let the light blaze from the rosy crystal, causing the smallest and weakest of the Heartless to evaporate into twists of smoke.

Seeing Lisa's success, Aura began to blow bolts of blue-white lightning into the massed creatures, causing groups of Heartless to shriek with pain and even topple over the terrace railing, sending them plummeting towards the ground.

For once, Fabula wasn't doing her part to head the attack—instead, she watched the tongues of darkness that the mirror-Kaze controlled warily, and whenever one rose to attack, she conjured magical barriers that shielded the four of them from any assault, causing the shadowy appendages to bounce off their thin bubble-like surfaces.

Kaze watched his female companions fight silently, almost wistfully, for several moments, feeling deep appreciation surge through him at their willingness to defend him.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

And let the wild power blaze through his veins, sending sharp shocks of pain all up his right arm, even as he swung the Magun up and let loose his determined cry:

"Soil is my power!"

Aura, Lisa, and Fabula all swung around to him in shock, but even if they'd tried to stop him they wouldn't have been able to—once Kaze had begun to thaw the great summoning gun, little was able to stop him; the wind generated by the heavy driller-blades that circulated the Soil through the Magun was too strong for anyone to approach Kaze anyway.

Despite the threads of darkness along its heavy triple barrels, the Magun glittered in the light of the sunset as Kaze held it out, considering his foes.

"Kaze-niisan, you're an idiot," Aura murmured under her breath, even as she turned her back on her brother to fend off the Heartless that continued to approach so he would have the time he needed.

Barely had she done so when Kaze stabbed a judgmental finger at his dark mirror image. "The Soil charge triad to use on you has been decided!"

So saying, he drew a gray bullet from his belt and held it out. "The sleep that wraps death—Steel Gray."

His second choice was filled with Soil of a particularly poisonous shade of flaming red-orange. "From the bubbling and boiling blood—Heat Crimson."

Kaze deliberated for a moment, then slipped his third bullet from his belt and flipped it in the air, actually scooping the chambers of his Magun underneath it to catch it. "And finally… the light that penetrates darkness, Lightning Yellow!"

With a mad look in his eyes, he swung the Magun up as he tightened his finger on the trigger. "Destroy! I summon you—_Shokanju Ixion!"_

There was a deafening explosion as the golden gun went off, and Kaze and the girls were wrapped in silvery gunsmoke even as the spiraling Soil twisted into the form of an armored, winged horse with a jagged, lightning-bolt-shaped horn sticking out of its head.

The mirror-Kaze smirked, then leaped lightly backwards over the banister, vanishing from sight.

Kaze's summoned creature reared up with a shrill cry as sparks crawled all over its body—and then there was a bright flash, as lightning shot from its glowing form in all directions.

"Hold on, everyone!" Lisa cried, and sent ripples through the air as she shielded them from the worst of the light and the heat.

A second deafening explosion rocked the air, and when the four of them could see and hear again, there were no longer any Heartless in sight.

Lisa ran straight to Kaze's side, clutching at his shoulders to help keep him steady—though he was still standing, he was trembling badly, and his skin was pale and sweat-streaked as he clutched at his Magun arm, grimacing in pain.

Aura, on the other hand, dashed to the railing, peering over suspiciously. After looking around, she turned back to the others and shook her head. "I don't see that mirror thing anywhere," she reported. "Either Kaze-niisan got it with Ixion, or it escaped somehow."

Fabula shook her head and crossed her arms. "I have a bad feeling about this," she declared. "Let's get back to the others, _fast."_

---

While Raoul and Ai did their best to fend off the Heartless still streaming into the room, Kiri managed to beckon Chobi over to the edge of the mattress, and slowly, painstakingly maneuvered himself onto the chocobo's back. Once there, he gently kneed the bird into a position close enough to the pitched battle that he would be able to reach the Heartless there with minor spells.

At the first burst of flame through the little creatures, both Ai and Raoul whirled, staring up at Kiri with surprise.

The swordsman shrugged. "Well, I may not be able to summon in here, and without being able to stand on my own I can't fight directly or use sword spells, but I _can _use my magic to help you, so I will." So saying, he raised his hand and sent another flash of fire through the new wave of Heartless spilling into the room. "We do what we can."

Ai smiled. "Unn," she agreed with a sharp nod as she turned back around and sent another arrow into the oncoming attackers with a sharp twang of her bowstring.

They'd been going on in that manner for a while when Clear, still crouched in the back of the room with Christine hovering at his side, let out a sudden piteous cry. "What _is _this?" he moaned. "It's getting worse…!"

"Clear…" Ai looked over her shoulder at him, plainly worried.

"Hey—look, someone's coming!" Kiri yelled, pointing down the corridor.

"Is it the person you saw before?" Raoul asked, trying to squint through the Heartless.

"No…" Kiri shook his head, waving his hand through the air to send an incendiary line through the latest group of Shadow Heartless trying to make their way in. "It isn't… it's someone else…"

Barely had Kiri completed his sentence when Christine lurched up, going white and dashing towards the door. "It… it can't be… Erik?"

Kiri frowned into the darkness as the faint form he'd glimpsed drew closer. It did seem to be the man Raoul and Christine had described to them as their missing friend—whoever it was, he seemed to be about their age, clothed entirely in black—a black cape, black slacks, black suit coat with long tails and a black shirt under it, black cummerbund, black boots, and strangest of all, a black stage mask fixed over the upper half of his face. The only relief from the blackness lay in the white gloves the man wore, the pallor of his skin, and his eyes, which were different colors—the right a deep brown, and the left a pale blue—and held a curious blankness; even his hair was a silky-looking, flyaway black, though it had been pulled into the horsetail-cum-braid that Christine had referred to as a _queue_.

Kiri's frown deepened as he saw the silvery rapier the man named Erik held in his hand.

Regardless of the strange feeling Kiri was beginning to get, Christine let out a glad cry and took a few more steps forward. "Erik! It _is _you!"

"Where have you been all this time?" Raoul demanded, although relief was plain on his face. "We were worried that something had happened to you!"

Ai, shrugging at the newcomer, slipped the arrow in her hand back into her quiver and returned to Clear's side, kneeling down next to him and enquiring gently about the headache that seemed to be getting worse and worse for the boy.

"Erik, why aren't you saying anything?" Christine asked. "Is something wrong?"

Erik continued his resolute stride forward, his eyes as blank as ever.

And that was when Kiri saw it.

From this man's back sprang a pair of the same type of wings Colette had—translucent plumes of the same blackish-violet as the Heartless, sending off faint showers of silver whenever they moved.

Realization hit him full in the chest like lead weight when he extended his senses towards the man.

"Raoul! Christine! Don't get any closer to him! Your friend doesn't—"

But before Kiri could finish his sentence, Erik lunged forward with slow grace, even as he sliced his rapier through the air in a jerky movement, for all the world like some puppet on strings.

Christine gasped and staggered back; Raoul yelled and caught the blow on his own blade.

"Erik! What's the matter with—?"

Erik did not reply, but swept his rapier through the air again, this time opening a very fine cut along Raoul's cheek.

Clear, on the opposite side of the room, hunched down even further, giving another pained cry.

"Christine, stay _away _from him!" Kiri yelled, pale-faced. "Your friend no longer has a heart!"

_"What?" _Ai looked up from Clear, staring baffled at the Mystarian swordsman. "But how can he be moving if he hasn't got one?"

"I'm not sure… but just look at him! There isn't any emotion or real thought going on behind his actions! Someone must have taken his heart, and somehow they woke up his body and they must be directing it now!" Kiri shook his head. "Whoever it was that Kaze and I saw must have been a decoy to get everyone else away, so that whoever's behind all this could send Erik in here!"

Ai scowled. "Well, that's not gonna happen on _my _watch!" she yelled, and set an arrow to her bowstring, taking aim.

"Wait!" Christine cried. "Even if he doesn't have his heart, that's still Erik! Please don't hurt him, Ai! If we can get his heart back, we can still save him…!"

Ai flinched, and guiltily lowered her bow.

"Raoul, do you think you can knock him out?" Kiri asked over the clatter of the two men's rapiers. "I'll only hurt him if I use my magic, but maybe you can…"

Raoul didn't answer; he was too busy parrying Erik's lightning sword thrusts and stabs. As the others looked on helplessly, Erik managed to hedge him into a corner, then disarmed him with a flourish and dealt him a heavy blow to the stomach, sending him collapsing to the floor, coughing.

_"Raoul!" _With nary a thought to her own safety, Christine ran to him, kneeling beside him. "Raoul, are you alright!"

"Christine… get out of here…" Raoul managed. Realizing what she'd done, Christine jolted up, staring at Erik's body and the thin rapier blade pointed straight at her.

But as Erik advanced a step, there was a brilliant flash throughout the room.

And as Kiri looked on, the bright glowing shape of a disembodied heart appeared suspended in the air before Raoul and Christine.

There was another flash, and a not-quite-solid shape formed around that heart—a shape that would've been the same as the man threatening the actress and her friend, but for a few vital differences.

This Erik's eyes were gold, and blazing with love and purpose.

In comparison to the heartless body's completely detached countenance, this Erik's whole being thrilled with emotion.

And this Erik possessed no wings.

Just as the body lunged forward, the heart with its barely-substantial form leaped across to check it, crossing rapiers at the hilt, pushing the body it had once possessed back.

"Get out of here," the real Erik shouted, turning to fix everyone in the room with a passionate glare. "Hurry! I don't know how long I can do this—make the time you have count!"

Ai was the first one to snap into action. "Come on, Clear," she cajoled, tugging the boy up towards Kiri and Chobi, levering him into the back of the saddle with the swordsman's help. "He's right—we've got to leave now!"

Slowly, Raoul managed to stand, pulling the stunned Christine around the bizarre battle between the heart and body of their friend. But as the pair of them reached Kiri, Ai, and Clear, Raoul hesitated for just an instant, turning back towards Erik in his slight pause.

The Erik who still held the heart of his and Christine's old friend—who had maneuvered his erstwhile mortal shell around so that he was once again in between the heartless body and his comrades—looked over his shoulder, and smiled.

"Take care of her," he said almost gently.

Speechless, Raoul nodded—and dragged Christine through the door, shoving past the few Heartless who remained in the hall. "Let's get going!"

And so saying, they fled, trying not to concentrate on the sounds of heated battle behind them.

---

Kiri's group met up with Kaze's in the sweeping entrance to the now-derelict opera house.

Taking note of Kaze's pain and exhaustion, Kiri blanched. "He had to summon, didn't he? What happened out there?"

Fabula shook her head. "We'll explain later, once we're out of here. What happened to all of _you? _You look like you've seen a ghost!"

Kiri gave her a shaky laugh. "Actually, you're not too far off." As the reunited party headed outside, walking as quickly as they could towards the road, he explained.

Lisa looked on as he did so, amazed. Once he had finished, she spoke. "I've heard of that. Sometimes, a person's heart is so strong that even when it's been separated from the body it once occupied, so long as there are still those who would hold on to it, it can take its own form from time to time." She shifted a little; she and Aura were both supporting Kaze, helping him walk along the road. "Your friend Erik must really have cared for you, and you for him. That's an incredibly rare thing that he was able to do for you."

"You might be right…" Raoul replied, a distant look on his face.

Christine shook her head, visibly trying to snap herself back into the present. "So… where are you all headed now? Since you obviously can't stay here with us anymore…"

"We'll be going south to Conkram next," Aura told her. "We need someplace where we can think things over, and that sounds like it'll be our best bet."

Kiri made a face. "I almost forgot—we did say that we would give you directions to the church where you two could take shelter." He pointed down the road in the opposite direction from the one he and the others were getting ready to travel. "Just keep following that path, and so long as you stay on the road, you'll find it eventually. One of the minor priestesses there is very powerful—no matter what happens, she'll probably be able to keep most of the small fries away."

Raoul bowed low. "Thank you so much for all your help."

Lisa shook her head. "We should be thanking you. We're sorry you can't stay in your home anymore—it seems we've gained a reputation for setting people out into the world."

"That's not always a bad thing, you know," Ai told her, then turned towards the chocobo and its passengers. "How's your headache, Clear? Any better?"

The boy sighed and nodded. "It's not so bad anymore… I think I'll be able to walk again soon. I'm sorry for being such a bother…"

"Don't worry about it," she told him.

"Goodbye," Christine said with a soft curtsy. "I hope we meet again someday."

"Of course we will," Kiri replied. "You know, once we get rid of the Heartless, I'm going to have to bring my brother around to see one of your shows. I've heard a lot of interesting things about opera, but I've never actually seen one before."

Surprised, Christine laughed. "I'll look forward to it!"

---

In a shaded grove of trees not too far away, two conspirators watched as Raoul and Christine started to head west, while the rest of the large party turned to the south.

"So, what do you think, Kagami-kun?" Kara asked, toying with her whip. "Should we send some Heartless after the little songbird and her man?"

The mirror-Kaze, watching with his arms as close to folded as he could get them with the fully formed Magun in the way, shook his head and smiled. "She's no use to us now. We should focus on those most likely to prove the last two cornerstones, especially now that the boy has finally reappeared. The master was _not _pleased when he managed to slip away before, after all."

Kara shrugged. "You might be right. Ah, well, I'm off to tell my _darling _Azrael about this latest development—you keep watching until I get back."

The mirror-Kaze nodded, and didn't look back even as a small pool of darkness opened under Kara's feet and she slipped through it, vanishing under the earth as it closed.

As he followed the unwitting travelers with his stare, his grin continued to broaden.

He would get the prize to his master soon… and then, nothing would be able to stop them.

(TBC)


	23. Valse Risoluto

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the Prelude

"Damn it, why won't these bastards just give _up?" _Kiri yelled as he looked over his shoulder, panting, his voice strained. "You'd think that even Heartless would have common sense! They've been chasing us for _hours _now!"

"They smell blood, Kiri," Fabula shouted back. "You're hurt, Kaze's exhausted, Clear is just about incapacitated, and they might be after Ai next, remember? There are too many of them for us to handle unless we catch them one by one, and they _know _that. Invisibles are smart—now just shut up already and focus on getting away!"

Kiri gritted his teeth at her words, but he knew she was right. He and the others had barely crossed the border of the fiefdom of Conkram when a pack of Invisibles had appeared out of _nowhere, _attacking them. Making a stand was out of the question—from Kaze's condition, having to fire the Magun again would not only cause the darkness inside him to spread, but it looked like it just might kill him. Kiri's ankle was just healed enough that he could hobble a little on his own, letting the chocobo carry Clear alone, but he couldn't handle the strain fighting would put on it, and having to hover in midair and swordfight got awkward when the ground was so close. And in this condition, he was still wary of summoning—besides, if the Heartless were able to destroy his Mist bottle before he could manage to call an Ittouju, they were all screwed. And as though everything that could possibly go wrong had decided to, Clear had been hit by another migraine about an hour before the Heartless had showed up, _plus _Lisa had just started her monthly courses and she would be "off-rhythm", so she put it, enough for a few days that she couldn't be counted on to use Kigenjutsu _or _offensive magic reliably.

With only Aura, Fabula, and Ai to fight for them, the party couldn't possibly defend themselves.

Running was the only option they had left.

"Hey, look—" Aura called. "I think I can see the castle up ahead! We're almost there…"

"Nallorn and Gaedrian, it's about time," Kiri growled.

Snarling cries from the Heartless, however, made him look back again and curse under his breath. The Invisibles were gaining.

Ai, who'd been running next to Clear and the chocobo, grabbed at the trappings of the bird's tack, managing to get one foot into a stirrup and hauling herself up from there. Taking her seat behind her friend, she grabbed the chocobo's reins firmly, peeking over Clear's hunched shoulders. "Can't we go any faster?" she cried. "They're gonna catch us!"

"Okay, that's it," Kiri growled, swinging around and holding out his Maken. "You guys keep going—I'll take care of—"

Aura ran over to him, put an arm through one of his, and yanked, dragging him along with her. "You idiot, don't try to play the hero! Either we _all _get out of here or _none _of us do!"

But just as Kiri started to argue, a sudden cry drew everyone's attention.

It was Lisa; she'd either tripped or collapsed, and was sprawled along the ground, unmoving.

Kaze got to her first, kneeling beside her and almost hesitantly touching her shoulder to roll her over.

Ai was there next. "Lisa, are you okay? What happened?"

Lisa, still breathing heavily, shook her head a little bit. "I… I can't… go any farther…" she managed.

_"Fuck," _Aura commented with feeling. Then she turned and quickly loaded second rounds into each of her revolvers, aiming them towards the Heartless. "I guess we don't have any choice _now."_

"I'm… sorry…"

"Their fault, not yours," Kiri told Lisa, cutting her off. "Kaze, get her behind us. If she's stuck in the main thrust of the attack it's gonna get ugly." He turned to Fabula. "Do you think you and Aura can get me enough cover that I can summon?"

The Guide bit her lip and shook her head. "I don't know. No matter what, it'll be close."

"Maybe you two can shut up and be helpful instead?" Aura suggested, glaring.

Kiri shook his head. "Fine, fine. We'd better get this going, then—"

"HEY!"

The voice came from behind them. Adrenaline surging through his veins, Kiri whirled, his sword out, ready to assess any new threat.

"Get out of the way!"

Kiri barely had the time to edge back before a strange man powered past him, straight towards the attacking Invisibles, and tore into them with a vicious intensity that left the Mystarian swordsman breathless.

This newcomer was moving so quickly that even Kiri's trained eyes had trouble following him. Worse, he was barely more than a flash of black and silver against the black-violet of the Heartless' bodies, which made him even harder to see. Still, Kiri was able to trail him closely enough to see that this man was laying into his foes with brutal punches and kicks that seemed to be tearing the Heartless apart.

Whoever he was, this person was definitely powerful.

It seemed as though Kiri had blinked a few times, and then what had been a dangerous threat to him and to his companions had been instantly decimated, right before his eyes. Just like that, no more Heartless were left.

The stranger turned to them, still breathing a bit roughly. "You guys okay?"

Kiri shook his head to clear it, then looked back and forth between his bewildered companions. "Uh… yeah, everybody seems to be alright."

Putting a hand to his chest and sighing, the newcomer nodded. "That's a relief. It took a while to get here, and it sure as hell didn't help that I barely got any notice from the sentries that there were people in trouble out here. Those idiots assume that just because you aren't human, you should be able to respond to a crisis way faster than one, every single time. I'm so glad I wasn't too late." Approaching Kiri, he held out a hand. "My name's Reiko; I'm from Conkram."

Kiri clasped the hand, looking Reiko up and down. "Kiri Madoushi. We seriously thought we were screwed back there. Thank you." Now that the strange man was standing still enough for him to tell, Kiri saw that he and Reiko were just about the same height; Reiko had long, thick-looking black hair that fell straight to his waist in long tufts, honest silver eyes, and a kindhearted set to his features. He wore a black sleeveless shirt trimmed in silver thread and black pants and boots of some thick material, with a red waistband and wristbands. He would have looked completely normal, if not for the pair of thick, twisted gray horns that rose from his head, about an inch past the hairline.

Putting her chakrams away, Fabula drew closer to Kiri and their new acquaintance, smiling. "You're a Seru, aren't you?" she asked. "It's been a long time since I've come across one of your kind. We certainly are well met."

"Yeah." Reiko shrugged one shoulder. "We don't usually get visitors who can tell what I am. Besides apparently being the favored errand boy of our city guard, I'm also the partner of the duke's son. We've been working together since we were both little—and he, at least, is gonna get worried if I don't start taking you guys back right away. You're safe, at least for now… whatever you're doing out in these godforsaken parts today. Welcome to Conkram."

---

No sooner had Reiko led their party past the sturdy stone walls of the fiefdom's castle than they were accosted by a group of guards, who seemed to be headed by a blue-haired boy in his mid-teens.

"What took you so long?" the boy demanded, stabbing a judgmental finger at their escort. "We were about ready to give it up for a lost cause! What were you _doing, _giving them a grand tour of the grounds?"

Reiko gave him a jaundiced glare. "That's enough out of _you. _Did it cross your mind _once _that these people might be hurt, or tired? Sure, _I _might be able to run back and forth within about fifteen minutes, but that's because I'm not human. _They _are."

The boy crossed his arms, his dark eyes smoldering. "That's no excuse."

"So maybe _you _want to handle the next one, Vahn," Reiko retorted. "You wouldn't even make it in time to see the people you were supposed to be saving getting killed. The work I do is dangerous, and you treat me like it's of no importance. And you always, _always _have to drag me out of bed for it."

"We could get some other Seru," Vahn threatened, shaking a finger. "You know they _all _want to help us do whatever we can."

"You and I both know that I'm the only one who can handle the Heartless out of the Seru who haven't already assimilated with humans here," Reiko replied. "Now, get out of my way, you stupid kid. You still have guard duty."

As Vahn yelled "I'M NOT A KID!", Reiko gestured for Kiri and his company to follow him, then pushed past the guards to the inner hallways of the castle.

"Don't mind him," he told them as he did so. "Vahn's a good enough kid most of the time, really. He just gets nasty when he feels like he's been upstaged. Besides, we have a little bit of a personality conflict." Reiko gave them a sharp-toothed grin. "Namely, each of us thinks the other needs a new one."

They continued on their way, this time with no further interruptions.

"So, how is this place faring?" Aura asked bluntly. "You guys actually seem to be doing okay here."

Reiko shook his head. "I guess you could say so. We're packed in here like a bunch of sardines in a tin, and a lot of us—including me—hate that fact. But as long as the Heartless are out there, we can't really leave this place. There's a town to the southwest of here called Octam that we'd like to evacuate to, but we're not sure how we'd go about doing that, and the duke is against that plan. Duchess Minea has been trying to convince him for weeks, but he won't listen to her."

"What do _you _think?" Aura wanted to know.

"And what makes Octam safer than a fortified castle like this?" Kiri asked.

"I think I understand the answer to that last question," Fabula said. "At least, I do if the Octam you're talking about is still Octam as I remember it. I was once a Guide to someone who lived there a few hundred years ago, and it's a large and very ancient town built by use of the Seru, like this place. The difference is that a deep cavern lies beneath Octam, where an underground city was constructed just in case something like this ever happened and its people needed to hide. There used to be a path between those catacombs and Conkram, but from the way Reiko here is talking, it must have been destroyed."

Reiko nodded. "It collapsed about twenty years ago, at least to my knowledge. They tried to make a new one, but there were so many cave-ins that construction eventually stopped. The only way to get to the underground city is through an elevator in the middle of the town, and it's password-protected to keep strangers from getting down there."

"What's an elevator?" Ai wanted to know.

"It's this little room thing that gets drawn up and down between two levels of a building on a chain," Reiko told her. "They're much safer than I make them sound, though. I doubt I could give you a better explanation than that. As for what I think, well, either way we're shut into a place and that makes me a little bit claustrophobic, but being underground in Octam would definitely be safer. Even _I _can see that, and right now it's just the duke and part of the guard who really want to stay—they think we should stand and fight. But hopefully, the duchess will be able to talk him around. If the duke gives in, the guard won't care either."

"Is that what you and Vahn disagree about?" Aura asked him, jabbing a finger over her shoulder to indicate the boy.

"No…" Reiko shook his head and started to blush a little, laughing. "No, actually he's still mad at me for something that happened before the Heartless came. I've tried to tell him it was an accident, but no matter how hard I try to convince him I'm sorry, he just refuses to believe me." He shrugged. "Really, we just don't get along."

"What kind of accident?" Ai probed, grinning.

"I sort of kind of knocked down part of his village wall," Reiko confessed, not looking at anyone. "Long story. But I swear to God, I didn't mean to. That was before Vahn and his people came here—their village, Rim Elm, was evacuated, like all the others in this region, when the Heartless came. We're a little bit overcrowded right now, which is another reason we need to get to Octam. The caverns are about three times as big as this place, which would be good for me." Reiko made a face. "I'm getting really sick of being stuck in this form."

"What do you mean, 'this form'?"

"I've used my powers to take human shape for now, as you might have noticed," Reiko explained. "But that's only because my true form is too big to fit in this castle. If I went outside to change even for a little while, it'd draw the attention of the Heartless, so I can't. It makes me _really _fidgety."

"You must be pretty powerful, then," Fabula said, sounding mildly impressed. At the confused looks on her companions' faces, she explained, "Most Seru look like stone figures or animals. Some can change their appearances to look like humans, but it consumes a lot of energy, so not even many of the strong ones can do it for long."

Reiko shrugged one shoulder, embarrassed.

"I remember you telling me about that," Kiri said, nodding, giving Reiko an intrigued look. "That must be why you were able to take care of so many Invisibles all at once."

This time Reiko shook his head. "All power has its price," he said sadly.

Just as Kiri was about to ask what he meant by that, their group turned a corner and entered a vast hall. Reiko's gloomy expression suddenly brightened as he caught sight of a figure on the other side of the room.

"Here—you're all probably tired. I have to go back on duty soon, but my partner can show you to what spare rooms we've got left." And Reiko started to lead them towards the man he'd seen.

"Partner?" Kiri asked.

Reiko smiled. "Well, we've never fully assimilated, but we have a strong bond." He touched his chest. "Cort and I have been together ever since we were very young, after all, and we've gone through a lot. He shares some of my power, and we fight best as a team. I would die for him, and I know he'd do the same for me, if it came down to it." He turned as his partner noticed his approach and started to hurry over.

Kiri looked Cort over, then did so again. The young man was tall for normal human standards, but still a few inches shy of his Seru companion's height; he had long, elegant silver hair swept back over his shoulders and a pale-skinned, rather saturnine face which nonetheless had sensuous features—full lips that took an expression only marginally milder than Kaze's habitual frown, yet evened out into a slight smile upon catching sight of Reiko, nearly black, perfectly shaped eyebrows, a strong Western nose, and almond-shaped eyes with different colors (one was the same pure ruby as Kiri's eyes, and the other a deep sapphire blue). Cort was dressed in finely made dark gray shirt and pants with classy, precisely stitched silver trimming and black leather boots that seemed relatively new without being stiff. Kiri's first impression was that this willowy man was more of a pen-pusher than a fighter and _obviously _of some noble class, but there was a sword sheathed at Cort's hip and matching calluses on his hands that argued he knew how to use it.

To Kiri's surprise, Cort first slipped a pair of silver-rimmed, oval-lensed glasses from a shirt pocket and put them on before dipping a graceful bow to his guests. "As Reiko has no doubt told you, my name is Cort; you will probably hear me referred to as the heir to the duchy of Conkram." He paused, giving them a wry smile. "I am, but only when Father pulls me out of my laboratory. I'd much rather continue my research on the history and powers of Seru than govern people I feel too familiar with to order about."

Kiri had met enough unwilling nobility by now to come to the conclusion that the general majority of them were good people, and smiled back. "I hear you. Responsibility sucks. I'm Kiri Madoushi, by the way. We were passing through the lands around this place when we got sneak-attacked by Heartless, and Reiko here managed to save us and brought us here."

"He certainly does have an inclination to rescue whatever strays he happens to find," Cort agreed, reaching up to affectionately tousle the Seru's black hair. "Well, Father and Mother are both holding a meeting with their court right now, and they'll likely want to meet you when they're done, but for now I'll take you to a few rooms upstairs." He looked them all over, his gaze lingering on Kaze and Lisa's weariness, then Kiri's still-bandaged ankle. "You'll be wanting—and needing—some rest."

---

Kiri didn't know what he'd been expecting when he pushed open the door to the bathroom attached to his bedroom. A washbasin maybe, or a tub if he was lucky. Not this.

Not a real live _shower._

Kiri had only taken a shower once or twice before in his life, and he definitely found them preferable to baths. You got done while your hot water was still hot, and it didn't waste nearly as much energy.

Just the thought of being able to get clean won out over sleep. He could do that afterwards. Making sure his door was firmly shut and locked, he stripped off his clothes and weaponry, threw the mess on the bed, undid the bandages around his ankle, and sat down on the floor next to the faucet there to turn on the water and see how it was.

Sticking a hand beneath the flow, Kiri smiled. It was almost scalding—just perfect.

Pulling the shower curtain back, the redhead stepped under the heavy spray of near-sizzling droplets and closed his eyes, sighing gratefully.

It had been _so _long. His own city didn't have a single shower in it, but one of the other Mystarian cities that he and his parents had visited did. That had been two years ago, when he and Kumo had still been basking in the joy of their engagement. They'd shared a room in the building where they'd stayed, and Kiri had showered every day.

Kumo had, too. And instead of a curtain, their hosts had put in a sliding sheet of glass for a door between the shower and the rest of that room. Kiri remembered seeing his brother standing there through the water and the steam, a rapturous expression on his upturned face, little water droplets tracing over and accentuating every curve of his body. The memory was still vivid enough, still potent enough, to make Kiri's blood stir as he shifted uncomfortably. Kumo had only been fourteen at the time, and it was almost disconcerting to realize just how sexy he'd looked without having any notion of it. Nallorn and Gaedrian, remembering _still _turned him on.

Kiri realized with a jolt that despite how guilty his ever-increasing intimacy with Kumo had made him, now that his brother was no longer around, he missed it horribly. Out of the desperation of sexual frustration, Kiri had finally given in only months ago and started allowing himself to touch Kumo—and for his brother, in turn, to touch him—the way he couldn't help but dream of every time their bodies brushed.

He'd started out violently opposed to the idea when Kumo had first brought it up. Touching could so easily turn into something else, and he knew that whatever they did to tide themselves over would just make them both want more. They still had two years to wait, and two years was a long, long time if they were going to let themselves get _that _close to sexual intercourse without taking that final step.

But it would also be a long time without any kind of substitute. Kumo had pointed out that they were, after all, a pair of teenaged boys, and that the sexual appetites of teenaged boys were legendary for being voracious. And Kiri had admitted that he was definitely capable of throwing all sense of responsibility out the window in an act of long-suppressed lust.

So they'd started doing what they could to satisfy each other without any loss of virginity.

It was just as hard to hold back as Kiri had expected—even harder, once he began to feel as he'd predicted that being able to touch, to hold, to run his hands over every sensitive part of Kumo's body was no longer enough. He ached to leave kisses where he let only his fingers venture, but didn't, out of worry that he might end up letting himself carry out some of his most secret half-imagined wishes, which would more likely than not lead them straight into bed.

Still, despite the danger… Kiri still wished that he had someone to touch. It was so lonely, so cold without Kumo curled up next to him at night.

Kiri's cheeks flamed faintly as he realized what thinking so deeply about desire had caused. "Shit." Well, there was nothing else for it now. With the hot water still coursing over his shoulders and back, he closed his eyes and sought the memory of Kumo's hands, his murmured words of love, the closeness of his unbearably erotic, unbelievably beautiful body.

It didn't last long, nor was it nearly as soothing to Kiri's restless mind as he remembered; maybe it was just because of the shame and guilty relief mingled with the dregs of regret that flowed through him after the lone ripple of pleasure, seizing his heart even as every other muscle in his body seemed to relax. Whatever the cause, his mood was black as he opened his eyes to consider his hand.

The memory of the taste hit him hard, bitter and almost salty, a taste he had savored every time he and Kumo had sought release together before all this had happened, meticulously licking his hands clean.

But he could no more pretend that this was Kumo's semen than he could forget everything he had been through since Kumo's ritual had gone so wrong. Kiri stood under the scalding spray of the water and let it scour his body clean, watching that white swirl vanish down the drain.

"Damn it."

Kiri finished his shower in silence, stubbornly refusing to let himself think. When he was finished, he turned off the water and toweled his body dry, pulling a fresh loincloth from his things and shoving the rest of his clothes on the floor.

Depressed, he flopped down on the bed and closed his eyes. Despite the fresh scent of the sheets and the absence of the road dust against his skin, he still felt irrevocably unclean.

---

It took hours for the meeting held by the duke and his retinue to conclude, and by that time, Kaze, Lisa, and Clear were all completely dead to the world in an attempt to flee from their personal pains, and Kiri had locked himself in his room and wasn't coming out. Noting this, Cort said that he'd make their excuses to his parents and see if he could arrange a meeting the next day, once everyone was rested.

The others took to their rooms as well; castle servants brought them food, and after washing away the filth of their travels, they slept to the comfort of clean sheets and a roof over their heads.

They slept, oblivious to all notions of danger or safety, innocent of the whims of Fate they were shortly to be subjected to…

---

Morning came at an obscenely early hour that day, at least in Ai's opinion.

Grumbling the worst expletives she knew (most of which she'd learned from Aura over the past month or so) at the brightness of the sun through the thin curtains, the girl pulled her clothes on, tugged a brush through her hair, and started to pin it up.

Unfortunately for Ai, her hair didn't seem to want to be confined today. Whenever she tried to bunch it up so that it wouldstay, the little pins and clips she could usually keep it in check with popped right out. Growling at her sleepy face in the mirror and the raccoon eyes she was dismayed to realize that she'd developed, Ai decided that there were definitely other ways she'd rather be spending her time than fighting with her hair.

"Next time I have my hair cut, I think I'll get it short like Clear's," Ai growled, flicking her hair back over her shoulders with distinct displeasure. She could _definitely _see why Aura complained so much about hers. This was absolutely going to get too hot.

With her arms crossed and a sullen pout on her face, the young girl left her room and padded down the corridor towards the main hall where Cort had suggested that they should meet last night.

As she emerged into the wide chamber, Ai stopped for a moment and blinked at the sheer number of people congregating around the wide wooden tables set up in neat rows along the hall's length. She wondered for a moment why there seemed to be three or four times the number of citizens here as there had been in her own fiefdom's castle, but then remembered how Reiko had explained that the nearby villages had all been evacuated when the Heartless arrived, and that the refugees had all come to live here.

_I guess he wasn't kidding when he compared this place to a tin of sardines, _Ai thought to herself, feeling a little overwhelmed. She'd known a lot of people in her life, but she doubted that she'd ever seen so many all in one place before.

"There you are." Ai turned; it was Fabula, looking enviably fresh after her night's rest. "I was just about to come looking for you. Everyone else is already getting ready to eat—follow me."

Ai followed Fabula to the far end of the rightmost table. True to her words, everyone else already was situated there—plates of omelettes heaped onto steamed rice and small sausages in neat rows were sitting in front of everyone, but instead of the type of silverware found in most places, Ai realized as she drew closer that a set of wooden chopsticks accompanied each plate of food. Aura, with her back to the others, was criticizing the flavor of the omelettes whenever she took a break from inhaling them; Clear, sitting at the very end of the table with space for two seats between him and the volatile Windarian gunmage, ate quietly and politely—though Ai couldn't tell with his back to her, he seemed to be trying to ignore Aura's bad attitude. On the other side of the table, a sleepy Lisa was attempting to instruct Kaze in the use of chopsticks; the usually somewhat apathetic man had a frustrated scowl on his face as he repeatedly tried and failed to manage them correctly, apparently finding it difficult to handle chopsticks left-handedly. Ai turned her laugh into a cough, then frowned as she looked at Kiri, on Lisa's other side. The red-haired swordsman was poking at his food with his chopsticks, not really eating anything. His face was even more shadowed than Ai's, and gloom hung over him like rain clouds.

"What's with him?" Ai asked, pointing.

Fabula shook her head, putting a hand on Ai's shoulder. "Kiri's had a rough night," she explained. "Go easy on him. He's taken everything that's been happening these past weeks pretty badly, after all."

Ai nodded agreement as the two of them took their seats; the chocobo, which had been curled up at the very end of the table, perked up when it saw Ai's approach, then settled back down as soon as it noticed that she didn't have her hair up today.

As Fabula struck up a conversation with Aura, Ai turned to Clear, knowing that if she concentrated on Kaze's chopstick lessons for too long, she would erupt in a giggle fit, which probably wouldn't be a good thing for Kaze's self-confidence. "So, how are you doing this morning?" she asked him. "Is your headache any better?"

Clear paused in eating to look at her in consideration, then shook his head. "It's much better than before, but… my head still hurts a little bit, I'm not sure why. These have always gone away in a few hours or so before."

"That sucks." And Ai didn't like the fact that there wasn't really anything she could do that might help him. She didn't even have any idea where the doctors in this place were, let alone what medicines she could ask for that might help Clear.

She was saved from the awkwardness of not really knowing what to say when she saw Cort and Reiko approaching, accompanied by a redheaded girl who looked to be about her own age.

"Good morning," Reiko called with a smile and a wave as the others began to turn in their direction. "Hope you slept better for the fresh beds."

Lisa bowed from where she sat. "Yes, thank you—it was so wonderful to not have to sleep on the ground again. We owe you so much for taking us in like this."

Cort shook his head. "Not at all. This is partly what Conkram's big halls were built for—to host those in need. Anyway, my parents sent me here to tell you that they'd like to see you after you finish eating. Reiko and I will take you to them if you need directions, but we have work to do, so we won't be able to stay there while you talk to them."

"That's fine." Fabula turned to the girl whom the two men had brought. "Who's this?"

The girl dipped a quick bow to them, apparently deciding to answer the question herself. "My name's Noa. Cort's my big brother. Niichan and Reiko told me about you guys last night—it's nice to meet you!"

Ai looked her over, curious. Noa appeared to be about an inch or two taller than Clear, with bright, unruly red hair pulled back into a ponytail, although several shorter tufts still fell around her heart-shaped face appealingly. She had wide green eyes and a bright, cheerful smile; she was thin, with small shoulders and a nearly nonexistent bust despite being that much taller than Ai. Noa was dressed in blue pants made of thick material that still managed to hug her body closely, as well as a white tube top with an embroidered buff border along the top and bottom hems and a loose pair of armwarmers that matched it. She didn't seem to be armed, although there was some kind of shiny green material stretched over her left hand like a glove.

"What's that on your hand?" Ai asked, pointing.

Noa held up her hand with a grin. "This is Terra! She's my Seru!"

_"That's _a Seru?" Ai blinked, baffled. "I thought they were supposed to look like animals or people."

"Most do, but Noa and Terra are assimilated," Cort explained. "That means that Terra is basically a part of Noa's body right now."

"So, would that mean that all of the people around here who look as though they're wearing armor are also assimilated with Seru?" Lisa asked, turning away from Kaze for the time being.

"That's right."

"But your Seru is only on your hand," Ai pointed out. "It must not be very powerful."

Noa giggled. "Nope! Terra's _really _strong!"

"Well, how does that work?" Ai wanted to know.

"There are different kinds of Seru," Reiko told her. "Ra-Seru like Terra may be small, but they have a lot more power than ordinary ones… and they're a lot smarter, too."

"Ra-Seru are special," Noa added. "There aren't a lot of them left, even here in Conkram."

"Well, to make it brief for now, there are three different kinds of Seru left alive nowadays," Cort explained, taking note of the confused look on Ai's face. "There are ordinary Seru, the kind that you'll see assimilated with people or wandering around the castle here. Then there are Ra-Seru, which have special powers and are as intelligent as any human, despite their small size. There are also Sim-Seru, which are Seru that have been created by humans. We don't have that kind of technology around here anymore, so there aren't very many of them left, like the Ra-Seru. Besides, humans are outgrowing their dependency on Seru… and the Seru, sensing that they're no longer needed, are slowly leaving this place."

"You mean, they're dying?" Clear ventured.

Reiko shook his head. "No… the Seru have their own world, that's both a part of this one and not. Seru without partners eventually end up returning there, and less Seru are born into this world because of that."

"Niichan, you forgot something," Noa said, poking Cort in the side. "There's Reiko, too." She turned back to Ai and the others with a smile. "Reiko is a Juggernaut, and my brother thinks he's probably the last one in the _whole world."_

Reiko shook his head, and though Ai wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not, he seemed almost sad. "Noa, do you really have to bring that up?"

Noa crossed her arms and pouted up at him. "Well, they're not from around here, and they want to know! What's so bad about that?"

"It's just not important, okay? Now, drop it already."

"You grownups don't make any sense sometimes," Noa sulked.

"Just ignore those two for right now," Cort said with a sigh. "Anyway, finish up eating. We'll be waiting for you over there once you're done." He pointed to a relatively empty corner of the room, making sure that everyone knew where he meant, then gathered up his sister and his partner and headed over there with them in tow.

Once they were gone, the group collectively turned to Fabula. "So what exactly is a Juggernaut, anyway?" Clear asked.

The Guide shook her head. "I don't know as much as the locals do, but they're a race of Seru that are nearly extinct. They're supposed to have some kind of special powers, but because of their appearances and legends about their kind, humans tend to fear and hate them. You'd have to ask somebody from around here; remember, I Guided someone from Octam once, but that was just _once. _I don't know _everything _about this place, you know."

"Their appearances?" Aura probed.

"I've never seen one in its true form, but from what I've read, they're supposed to look like demons."

There was a long silence as everyone exchanged glances. However, the moment was broken when the snap of splintering wood and a snarled curse from Kaze, red-faced with frustration, brought everyone back to the moment.

Ai couldn't help it—she burst out giggling. The helpless irritation on oh-so-stoic Kaze's face was just _too _priceless.

"Do you want a fork for that?" came a voice from the end of the table.

Ai turned and saw that it was the blue-haired boy who'd been with the guards yesterday, Vahn.

Kaze sighed and head-slumped. "…please…"

Vahn smiled, then handed it down the table towards him. With a grimace, Kaze finally got to eating as Vahn looked around the circle of travelers and bowed to them. "I've been meaning to apologize for yesterday," he told them. "That's not exactly the way that I would've liked to present myself to newcomers."

Lisa patted Kaze's shoulder consolingly, then looked up at Vahn. "That's fine. Reiko explained to us how you two don't see eye to eye sometimes, and I know that it can be hard to show your best side around someone you don't really like."

Vahn made a face. "Still… even at my age, I've been made a captain of the castle guard, so I can't really afford to act childish, and I apologize. Even if Reiko _is _an accursed Seru, he makes good use of himself to protect this place, and I know I should stop picking fights with him, but sometimes I can't help it."

"How did you get to be a captain?" Ai asked him, pushing her plate aside.

"Well, I was a hunter in my own village, and when I came here, I joined the guard," Vahn explained. "I wouldn't have attracted much attention, except for the fact that my Seru, Meta, is actually a high-ranking Ra-Seru." He placed a hand on what Ai had first thought was just a red metal brace on his right forearm. "Because he chose me, I got noticed a lot faster." He shrugged. "Besides, I'm friends with the commanders of the troops here, so that doesn't really hurt."

"Really?" Clear looked between Ai and Vahn. "I'm from Ivalice, and even there, I've never seen anyone our age in command before. You must be good at what you do."

"It's more out of listening to Meta's advice than anything else," Vahn told them, making a face. At this, the Seru on his wrist began to give off a faint glow; once it subsided, Vahn grinned. "He says I should stop giving him all the credit, but it's true. …Well, that and we're both probably too modest for our own good."

Ai giggled and Clear smiled into his sleeve. Vahn raked his hands through his hair and looked around.

"Well, I'd better get back to the others, but I just wanted to say hi and apologize for before. We might see each other again while you're staying here, and so if you ever get sick of dealing with that klutz Reiko, you can always ask for me." Smiling and bowing again, Vahn headed off.

Lisa watched after him for a while before turning back to the others. "He's a nice boy. I'm glad he stopped over here… that was kind of him."

Kiri chewed the ends of his chopsticks for a moment. "Though, I do see what you mean about people being averse to Juggernauts or whatever they are. I can understand how _that _feels. Reiko must be a saint to be able to live with that and not go crazy."

"The heck do _you _understand what it's like for him?" Aura asked, frowning at him. "You grew up surrounded by your own people, and you never experienced racial intolerance in your life."

Kiri just looked at her. "There _was _a reason that my race had to flee the surface world, you know," he said pointedly, "but that's not what I meant. Mystaria is a Taoist nation, so we don't put much stock in hierarchy, but my family is about as close to a ruling body as there can be. Social status creates resentment, and there were always a few dissenters who tried to make my life miserable just because of who my parents are."

"Mystaria's… ruling body…?" Lisa repeated, frowning.

Kiri nodded. "A long time ago, supposedly before the original wars with Windaria, Mystaria was governed by a monarchy. Having to fight for our lives forced us to dispose of the old system to get closer to the Way and to the powers that would help us save our people, but still, within every generation, that old blood usually rises up, giving one family a closer connection with Doukyou… and those families tend to become as much of leaders as we can have."

"So, does that make you a prince, like Clear?" Ai wondered.

Kiri just shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Hardly. I was raised the same as any other Mystarian child—I just had to deal with more responsibilities, that's all." He fell silent, chewing on his chopsticks again.

"Don't eat those," Fabula scolded, reaching across the table to remove them from his grasp. "If you're done, we'd better go meet up with Cort and Reiko. The duke and duchess are expecting us, after all."

---

"I'm sorry we kept you waiting," Lisa began as the group approached the corner where Cort, his sister, and his Seru had been standing.

Cort shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Shall we go?" He turned and beckoned them towards a side hallway with an arched stone ceiling and torch sconces along the walls.

"Man, now we've got to tell everyone the same old, same old story _again," _Ai complained, pouting. "Why do we always have to do that? It's so annoying…"

Lisa just sighed. "It isn't fair to keep our hosts in the dark, Ai. We have to give the duke and duchess some kind of satisfactory explanation as to why we're giving them eight more mouths to feed."

Ai huffed. "Yeah, but _still!"_

"Actually, if you think it's that boring hanging out with the adults and listening to them talk, you could always come down and help us," Reiko offered. "You wouldn't mind, would you, Cort?"

The silver-haired man gave an elegant shrug. "We might as well. And actually, I was wondering if I could get Clear's consent to try something down in the labs."

"Like what?" Clear asked, sounding a little surprised.

"Last night, Fabula explained to me that for whatever reason, Lisa hasn't been able to heal you or sense the condition of your heart, which she's been trained to do at the southern healers' university and by all rights _should _be able to do with ease. And since you're still looking a little peaky, I'd guess that you still have the same migraine from before, right?" Clear nodded. "If human magic can't help you, then perhaps Seru magic can."

"It's possible," Lisa admitted with a dubious look on her face. "Would you like to try it, Clear?"

"Ai can come with us too," Noa added. "It _is _really boring sitting around and listening to people talk a lot, after all!"

"Kweh," went the chocobo, and they all laughed—even Kiri managed to crack an honest smile.

"This little one would probably be rather uninterested as well," Cort said, ruffling the bird's feathers. "And it's been a while since I've actually seen a chocobo around these parts. Does he have a name?"

"My little brother calls him Chobi," Ai replied; then she caught herself, and her face fell. "I mean… _used_ to call him Chobi."

There was a sudden hush over all of them at the sadness in her voice. Lisa reached out as if to put a hand on her shoulder, but before she could, Noa pointed ahead of them. "We're here."

Two armored guards stood on either side of closed doors, each of them looking a little bit uncomfortable. Kiri could see why—or rather, he could _hear _why; the sounds of angry voices, muffled to the point of their words being blurred, reached into the corridor.

Reiko grimaced. "Oh-oh. Sounds like someone stuck a wasp in the duke's loincloth again." Turning to Kiri's party, he shook his head, made a face, and jerked a thumb towards the doors. "He gets all irritable whenever anybody brings up the fact that we should be well out of here by now, and lately he's been biting people's heads off whenever the topic gets mentioned in passing."

"You have no idea how much I hate having to do this, but this is where we have to take our leave," Cort said apologetically. "If we come in with you, we'll only manage to incense my father further."

"Well, why's that?" Aura asked with a frown, apparently not liking the idea of being left high and dry.

"'Cause he knows we take 'Kaasan's side about all this," Noa said with a nod and a grimace that mirrored Reiko's to an amusing degree.

"Duke Nebular's usually much more agreeable, but he's being a real stick in the mud about this thing, and he's never had much tolerance for me at any rate," Reiko added. "So it's probably better for all parties involved if we go off somewhere else before you guys poke your heads in to break things up."

"My sister doesn't particularly enjoy seeing our parents argue, and besides, Reiko and I have an _amazing _ability to forget our better manners when confronted with enough insults," Cort reported with a wry shake of his head. "Clear, Ai, Chobi-chan, come with us. If you need to find us, we'll be downstairs—as far downstairs as you can get. If you need directions, just ask any of the guards; they all know where my labs are." And so saying, he bowed himself out, with the children, the chocobo, and Reiko following him.

Aura crossed her arms. "Well, _that's _just wonderful," she said sourly as she watched them go.

Lisa made a face. "Can you blame them, though?"

"For _what, _wanting to get out of the way and let us take the heat?" Aura retorted.

"For not wanting to see their parents angry with one another. It's an ugly thing to any child, after all." Lisa offered them a small, pained shrug. "I know, because… my parents went through a very bitter divorce when I was a young girl."

Kaze, Aura, and Fabula instantly grimaced sympathetically; Kiri just frowned, his brow furrowing.

"Divorce…"

Fabula laid a hand on his shoulder and gave him a long, solemn stare. Turning back to the others, she shook her head. "Forgive him, please—he doesn't understand because the concept doesn't exist in Mystaria."

Kiri blinked at her, perplexed, as Fabula looked into his eyes with her hands on his shoulders. "Kiri, customs down here are very, very different from what you're used to. Marriage—the equivalent to Mystarian life-bonds—isn't always based on love and devotion, and there are several laws regarding it. Down here, it doesn't always work out. And a divorce is what happens when a pair of spouses can't live with each other any more. They get legal permission to separate and dissolve their marriage bonds. They are usually very ugly and they happen more often than you would believe possible. Oftentimes there are difficulties in a marriage, or the couple didn't get to know each other well enough in courtship. It is very, very rare for a divorce to be carried out peacefully, and legal settlements take years. It's extremely painful for all parties involved, _especially_ the children, if there are any."

Through all this, Kiri had continued to stare at her, bewildered, with an almost helpless expression on his face at the ugly revelation. "And this happens—_often _here?"

Fabula shook her head sadly. "Kiri, it's a colder world than you've been led to believe. Living in Mystaria has kept you sheltered from things like this—despite all your trials, you and Kumo have led charmed lives."

Kiri turned from her to the others, and now amidst the dawning horror on his features was pure heartbreak for Lisa. "And your parents made you go through something like that? Dear Gaedrian… that's horrible…"

Lisa just shook her head. "My parents never would have married each other if they hadn't been required to do so for a political contract," she explained. "It was inevitable, even if that doesn't stop it from having been a hard thing for me to get through in my life."

Fabula shook her head. "Anyway—we should hurry up and break things up in there before they get too nasty. Even outside, I don't like the sound of things behind those doors." And so saying, she headed for the doors, with Kaze and Lisa following her.

Aura stayed there for a moment, staring at the horrorstricken expression on Kiri's face with folded arms. "You've really never heard of that before, have you?"

Kiri shook his head numbly. "…It's _unthinkable. _Life-bonds are forever; that's why Mystarians can take years to find a lifemate and never, ever consider one lightly. I can't believe that something like this is even _possible."_

Aura just sighed. "…You really are naïve, you know that?" Even as Kiri's face reddened and he opened his mouth to hit her with some scathing retort, she held up a hand. "Although, in some ways that may not be a bad thing. Now, come on; we're keeping the others waiting."

Kiri just sighed and shook his head, though he followed her as she walked after their companions, into the room where the sounds of the duke and duchess' feud issued forth in hostile waves.

---

"So this is your lab?" Ai slowly turned in a circle, visibly impressed. "That's really cool!"

"It's nothing like the research academies in Ivalice, but it was hard enough to convince my parents to let me get this place made, and honestly it's become a haven for me recently," Cort admitted with a wry smile as he slipped his glasses on. The room was wide and circular, with mechanical consoles and screens lining its circumference, and it was painted in soft grays and white. Though Ai, Clear, and the chocobo were taking their time to look around, Noa had pulled up a chair and sat down in it, and Reiko plunked himself down on the floor next to his partner after a long, languorous-looking stretch.

"So what do you research down here?" Clear asked.

"There's been a lot of technology lost through the ages because we just haven't been using it, so what you see here isn't half of what I'd _like _to be working with, even though I'm pretty much the only one here who knows what all of this is. Clear, I'm sure your father would be able to use this equipment with ease." The boy nodded and smiled, accepting the compliment to the king. "The people of this region have been partnered with the Seru for so long that no one fully understands them anymore, either. So this is where I do experiments in order to determine what the depths of the abilities they don't always use really are."

"And everyone's always really happy to help out," Reiko added. "It's not like they get press-ganged into this, and Cort's always been very gentle with his subjects." He shrugged and stretched again. "More often than not, it's actually _me _doing these things, so I would know."

"He's my most intriguing project," Cort said, leaning down to ruffle his partner's hair (Reiko actually purred, which made Ai giggle). "I've been working with Reiko for years, and I still have no idea what the extents of what he can do really are."

"Terra tries to help out too, but she mostly knows the legends," Noa told them, swiveling around on the chair. "But Reiko and Niichan aren't giving up."

"Wait a minute, shouldn't Reiko know what his own powers are?" Ai asked.

Reiko shook his head. "I never knew either of my parents. They both died before I was really 'born', since Seru are hatched from eggs. So no one ever handed me the manual for my own body, which is another reason I tend to stay in human form. I know I'm kind of a klutz, so at least this way if I screw something up, there's less collateral damage." And at this, he made a face.

"That's gotta suck," Ai said, grimacing along with him sympathetically.

"But we're not down here for me, we're down here for Clear," Reiko reminded her. "All the healing Seru I know of are busy with the doctors upstairs, so we need Noa and Terra's help for this."

"Would you two mind summoning a Vera for us?" Cort asked as Ai and Clear looked on.

"Okay!" With that, Noa raised her left hand into the air and closed her eyes as a look of concentration passed over her face. The glovelike Seru attached to that hand began to glow steadily, eventually casting off a sphere of bright light which took the form of a grayish something that Ai thought looked like a giant skeletal bat or bird. It had webbed wings, a long jointed tail, and sharply pointed ears. It turned to Reiko with a noise that was almost a squawk, almost a screech, but most definitely neither. Reiko nodded to it, smiling.

"One of the reasons Ra-Seru are so powerful is their ability to absorb and then tap into the powers of other Seru," Cort explained. "After they do that, they can call on those strengths at any time. Vera like this one are Seru with healing powers, and calling one seemed the place to start."

Clear looked between Cort and the "Vera" with a grimace. "So… what do I do?"

"Just stand still and don't tense up too much," Reiko told him. "It should be like any other healing you've ever gotten in your life, but the power will come from a different source."

"…Okay." So saying, Clear took a deep breath and closed his eyes, waiting.

As Ai looked on, the Vera flapped over to Clear, beginning to glow a bright golden-green color. As it flapped its wings and gave a triumphant cry, a bright fount of light spilled over the blue-haired boy, enveloping him completely for several seconds and then dissipating.

"Well?" Cort asked expectantly.

Clear opened his eyes and shook his head. "I don't feel any differently."

"That's strange…"

The Vera flapped over to Reiko and squawked a few times as he turned to it, listening. When it fell silent, Reiko shook his head, then faced his partner. "She says that she couldn't get Clear's body to absorb the energy—there's something blocking it from getting in."

"Lisa said the first time she tried it that it was like mixing oil and water," Ai supplied.

The Vera squawked once more; Reiko smiled and translated. "She agrees with you." He reached out a hand to the healing Seru, patting it on the head. "That's enough for now; you can go."

And just like that, it vanished into a shower of sparks. Noa stretched and looked to her brother. "Should I call something stronger, Niichan?"

Cort shook his head. "I don't know. What do you think, Reiko?"

The Seru made a face. "Well, I don't really know why you're asking _me, _since I don't have much clue about this either. Still, I think calling an Orb or a Spoon won't help Clear either—their magic may be stronger than a Vera's, but it's the same principle, so whatever the block is most likely will keep their powers from doing any good, too."

Clear fidgeted. "It's just a headache… I don't really see why it matters…"

"But, _Clear, _they always seem to hurt you so much," Ai protested. "We can't give up now!" She turned to Cort. "Isn't there something else we could do?"

Cort opened his mouth with a perturbed expression, but Reiko cut him off. "Cort, would you mind if _I _tried to help him?"

"I don't know how much good that will do," Cort began.

"I know that what I can do isn't exactly healing, but at least I might be able to find out what's wrong," Reiko pressed. "Noa, Terra, what do you think?"

Noa looked down at the Seru on her hand questioningly; it glowed for a moment as Vahn's had back in the main hall. "Terra says that Reiko is right. She thinks that since no one else is able to help Clear, it might just be a symptom of something bigger. If that's true, then we should do whatever we can to figure our why he's suffering… right?"

"It's risky, but I don't think we have much choice," Cort allowed. "All right, Reiko. But be careful."

Reiko nodded, then walked over to Clear, kneeling in front of him.

"What are you going to do?" Clear asked.

"Like Cort says, it probably won't help you much, but I think it might let me see the real condition of your body, so I'm going to try to transfer life force from my body to yours," Reiko explained. "It'll feel strange, but bear with me, okay?"

Clear glanced at Ai, who shrugged at him. "Uh… sure. You shouldn't go to so much trouble, though…"

"Don't worry, it's fine." Reiko closed his eyes and laid his hands over Clear's chest; his palms almost instantly began to glow with a warm light that struck Ai as somehow _kind. _Clear's eyelids drooped, and he sighed, relaxing almost completely where he stood.

Reiko frowned as the glow at his hands continued to spread.

"Reiko, is something wrong?" Cort asked, standing up. "This doesn't usually take so long…"

But before Cort could finish his inquiry, Reiko jerked back with a shocked yell as a black crackle of energy that looked like some kind of electricity snaked around his arms. Clear, surprised into wakefulness, stepped back as well, looking rather bewildered by the entire ordeal, as Reiko crouched low to the ground on all fours, shaking violently.

"Reiko, what's wrong?" Cort knelt beside his partner anxiously, hands on Reiko's shoulders, as Noa dashed over to stand at the Seru's other side. "What happened there?"

Reiko rose slowly, his lips pulled back in a snarl as he clutched at his chest with a hand that had become a heavy paw even bigger than a bear's, sporting wicked black claws as long as kitchen knives. "…ughh…"

"What about Clear?" Ai cried, suddenly panicked as she ran over to support her friend.

"I… I'm fine…" Clear assured her, blinking. "I don't really understand what's going on…"

"Reiko…" Cort murmured worriedly, smoothing his partner's rapidly bristling back.

Reiko shook his head in jerky motions. "There's—nothing I can do for Clear," he said at length, and Ai realized that his voice was rasping in his chest. "Miss Pacifist—I have to talk to her, as soon as I possibly can…"

"What is it?" Ai demanded, shaking a fist. "What's wrong with Clear?"

But Reiko just shook his head and wouldn't answer.

(TBC)


	24. Valse Vivace

Kokoro no Hanashi

see disclaimer in the prelude

"—when last I looked! And I'll have you remember it!"

"I never said I was trying to undermine your authority! All I want is for you to see _sense! _If we stay in this place, we'll all die!"

"Excuse me, Your Grace…"

There was a brief pause as the man and woman who had been shouting at each other and the two men flanking the woman turned, every one of them looking bewildered.

The woman, presumably Duchess Minea, was the first to regain herself. She bowed elegantly to her guests. "On the behalf of all of us, I welcome you to Conkram—though it may not seem as welcoming as we originally wished." She grimaced slightly, folding her hands neatly at her hips. Despite the shouting match she'd been engaged in when Kiri's party had walked into the room, she seemed unruffled in her presentation. She shared the same red hair and green eyes as her young daughter, though her tresses were much longer and pulled into a horsetail tied with gauzy teal-and-gold scarves. She wore a royal purple dress of what looked like satin, and beneath it, a white-sleeved shift whose shoulders were carefully puffed; her presentation was as impeccable as any diplomat's. Kiri recognized Cort's calm in her features, but also that unlike her son, Minea had been born and bred for the role of nobility, and pretended no dislike for responsibility. However, the empathy in her wide eyes told him that she enjoyed authority for the sake of protecting her people, not for power in itself.

The man, Duke Nebular, scowled and glared at the intruders. "Yes, yes, welcome." He didn't look too welcoming, however, with crossed arms and the flush of anger still in his cheeks. He had thick and curly brown hair that meshed with the stiff bristles of his beard and sideburns, and beetle-black eyes under craggy brows. His lips were stubborn, and his aquiline nose was rather severe. He had large hands with thick fingers and stubby nails; there was a wide-banded signet ring on his left hand. Like his wife, he wore royal purple and gold in a brocade velvet shirt, constrained by a wide black belt with a brassy buckle. He also had on stern black breeches and thick leather boots. No matter what anyone else had said about him, Kiri thought the duke just looked plain disagreeable, the type who'd fight about anything purely for the sake of argument. _Oh boy. This guy is an absolute handful if I've ever seen one._

"Look, we're sorry to interrupt—and sorrier to intrude on your overall situation—but we need to stay here for a few days before we move on," Kiri said, scratching his head and shifting his weight uncomfortably. All the nastiness in the air was making his half-healed ankle achy. "I swear to you that we'll be out of here as soon as humanly possible."

"We don't have much room, but you can stay if you must," the duke replied. "May we know your names and homes for our roster?" There was disapproval in his voice nonetheless. Kiri's dislike waxed.

"Kiri Madoushi of Mystaria," he said succinctly.

The duchess and the two men with her raised their eyebrows, but didn't comment.

"Fabula Kronos of Lufenia that was—the last of the Guides under Cruxis Angelus," the silver-haired woman said with a small bow.

"Lisa Pacifist, ambassador of the Hayakawa fiefdom," Lisa added.

Aura scowled right back at the duke. "Aura Hougekiju and Kaze Kuroki of Windaria." She crossed her arms. "We're also accompanied by Ai Hayakawa and Clear Omega—yes, _the _Clear Omega. And a chocobo, if you need to know that too."

_"Aura," _Lisa hissed. The Windarian girl ignored her.

Kiri didn't say anything—for once, he was in wholehearted agreement with Aura. He outright didn't like Duke Nebular; the man's snippy attitude was entirely uncalled-for when he was talking to those seeking his aid. Why in the hell had a guy like that been trusted with the leadership of his people?

"I am Minea; my husband is Nebular. We are the holders of this duchy," Minea said with another gracious bow. "And these are the leaders of our city guard—Gala and Songi k'Biron, and their partnered Ra-Seru, Ozma and Jedo."

Gala, a tall and muscular brunet in the blue silks of some martial arts discipline, nodded; Songi, his equally muscular but redheaded companion, smirked and gave a sardonic salute.

"We're truly sorry for any inconvenience we may be causing you," Lisa began, but Minea shook her head, holding up a hand to silence her.

"No need. If our children did escort you here, you have beyond doubt heard from them that this is what Conkram was built for. And truly, seven people and a pet won't make that much difference at this point—it's just one more drop in the bucket."

"Actually, you might be able to help _us _right now," Songi put in. "How many Heartless did you encounter outside?"

Aura shrugged. "As you may've heard already, Reiko had to rescue us from a bunch of Invisibles… but other than that there weren't any more than we could handle, and our strength has been considerably depleted, considering that we've got a fighter with a broken ankle, an idiot we can't trust to fight without hurting himself in his condition" (she glared at Kaze, who had enough shame to avert his eyes and cringe away from her) "and a kid who's way too prone to migraines to take care of."

Kiri shook his head. "I love how much credit you give me."

Aura just gave him a _look. _"Someone has to deflate your fat head," she replied with a derisive sniff.

"Not now," Kaze said flatly, actually sighing and rolling his eyes. Both Kiri and Aura glanced at him with raised eyebrows, then shrugged to each other, silent.

"You're serious about there not being many Heartless?" Gala asked in an even voice. Kiri and Aura both nodded.

"Definitely, when you compare this area to some of the others we've traveled through," Fabula said emphatically. "It was really only bad luck that those Invisibles caught us, too."

The two guards exchanged glances and nodded to each other.

"Your Grace, if you would forgive us for being so forward…" Songi began, his tones deceptively mild even as he stood with weight shifted boredly and upraised eyebrows.

"…this could actually be the best chance we have for making a run to Octam," Gala concluded with a nod. Bemused, Kiri looked from one to the other, wondering if they were related. They surely had to know each other quite well to be able to coordinate their attack down to the point of finishing each other's sentences.

Even as the duke's face purpled with outrage, Songi held up a hand and went on. "If we get everyone together and make a run for it, we should be able to get all of this fiefdom's residents to the city safely, with minimal casualties, if that."

"The people will be safest this way, and isn't that what matters most?" Gala probed. "So long as we stay in this place, they'll—"

"They'll stand and defend what's rightfully theirs, that's what they'll do!" Nebular exploded, outraged. "I will _not _have the people run away from Conkram like a group of common cowardly peasants from any other land here in Archaea! No, no, _no!"_

Gala sighed; Songi rolled his eyes. The duchess rubbed her temples, looking thoroughly exhausted.

"Uh, look…" All four of them turned, startled; it seemed almost as if they'd forgotten that they had an audience at all. Kiri shook his head. "If you just hide here, you're probably not going to last very long, you know."

"Hiding!" the duke scoffed, purpling again. **"Hiding!"**

Kiri crossed his arms. "Yes, _hiding. _Avoiding the issue. If you stay in one place for too long, Heartless are going to start getting adventurous, you know. You won't be able to fight them off forever, not even with all the power of the Seru."

Aura nodded agreement. "Exactly. With this many people hidden away in the castle, it's like you've got some goddamn neon sign shouting 'Here I am, come get me now!' _Honestly. _The Heartless won't be able to _resist _the lure of so many hearts ripe for the taking. I bet you _anything _they can sense you and already want to get in here, badly. And even though they might not be able to get in on their own, it's only a matter of time before that Kara bitch and her cronies decide that they want Conkram for something or other, move in, and systematically demolish your defenses. If you've got a chance then you'd better damn well take it."

"Couldn't you two at least be a little bit polite?" Lisa ventured.

"Fuck polite," Aura replied calmly at the same time that Kiri said, "My ankle is killing me and I'm fucking sick of this guy's attitude."

"He's still our host," Lisa reminded them a bit timidly.

Kiri and Aura looked to each other and shook their heads.

"As the duke governing this land, it is my right to defend it," Duke Nebular snapped.

"You are _stupid," _Kiri said scathingly.

_"Stupid," _Aura emphasized. "At this point in time, your lives are fucking more important than lands or titles, you got that?"

"You've got kids and you have to keep them safe," Kiri berated. "You can always come back here and retake it if necessary."

"We should not _have _to retake our own lands!" the duke snarled. "My people are willing to die to protect the sanctity of their homes, or all of them do that still have _spines!"_

"Interesting how all the ones with _brains _are siding with your wife," Kiri said blandly, tapping a finger.

"It's not _that _hard to get it, once you subdue that noble pride of yours," Aura added. "Unless you haven't even made the goddamn effort yet."

"Now, hold it right there," Lisa directed, stepping in front of the two of them. "You've gone far enough. The choices of these people are _not _our affair, and I can't allow you to be any ruder to our hosts. Enough is enough."

Aura sulked, wearing an expression that made her nearly identical to Ai at her worst; Kiri opened his mouth to protest.

"Though I hate to break up the repartee, Lisa happens to be right," Fabula put in, though she was smiling. "If you'll excuse us, please, Your Grace. I apologize for their rudeness. They're young—and I do believe that Kiri here didn't get much more than an hour of sleep last night due to his injuries. You must try to ignore them as best you can; I'm afraid none of us are quite at our best in times like these." She bowed to the duke, duchess, and guards yet again, put her hands on Aura's shoulders, and carefully yet forcibly steered the girl back outside. Kiri, unwilling to endure the reproachful looks he was getting from both Kaze and Lisa, made a face and hobbled after them.

Nebular stared frustratedly after them; Lisa shrugged helplessly and Kaze shook his head.

"Please forgive me; I'm afraid I have to excuse myself as well," she murmured, bowing carefully. "I haven't yet taken medicine today and I've back cramps so awful that I can barely think." Looking a little nervous, she turned and nearly fled the room, with Kaze walking silently in her wake.

When the two of them got safely outside, an amused-looking Fabula was gently lecturing Kiri and Aura in the hall. "Though it was definitely charming to see the two of you working together for once—you make a better team than I would have thought—you were unfortunately out of line back there. It's impolite to mouth off to your gracious host at your first meeting; I do believe that if he hadn't had other people around, you'd be out on your ear right now."

"He's an _idiot," _Kiri retorted, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "I _hate _idiots."

"Yes, he is, but we haven't been here long enough to involve ourselves in these people's daily affairs, and if things go as planned, we won't stay long enough to have any authority in their lives." Fabula shook her head. "After so many incidences where we've become embroiled in conflicts pretty much everywhere we stay, I'm afraid you two have been a bit spoiled. We can't help _everyone _who happens to be suffering the leadership of a complete fool."

Aura looked over her shoulder at the now-closed doors, wearing a suspicious expression. "I just don't like him," she said decidedly. "I don't like the weird feeling I get around him."

"What kind of feeling do you mean?" Lisa asked; Aura turned back to her in slight surprise.

"Not like a Heartless kind of feeling," she said, shaking her head. "And not like the feeling I got from Kara either. It's something else, and I can't describe it other than to say that I just don't like it."

"Well, there's _definitely _something wrong with the guy if he can't see that getting his people out of here is the only way to keep them alive in the long run," Kiri asserted. "I mean, he's got to have _some _grasp of tactics, right? He couldn't possibly have managed to survive this long just by dumb luck alone."

"Not all nobles make tactical decisions on their own down here," Lisa told him. "Most of them have military leaders who head their defenses. The duke has probably decided to override the decisions of his generals in order to force his people to stay here—he can do that, you know."

Fabula shook her head. "It's not very smart, but there's not much we can do to help his people, as I said. The affairs of their fief are really none of our business unless they _ask _for our assistance."

Lisa sighed. "Kiri, you should probably go back to your room and lie down. You've been overexerting your ankle lately and I think it's best that you rest it as much as possible. And besides, you need to catch up on all the sleep you haven't been getting lately."

The red-haired swordsman shook his head. "Somehow I don't think that's going to work out very well. If I could barely sleep last night even though I was exhausted, how am I going to get to sleep _now?"_

"I'll spell you," Fabula volunteered, smiling wryly. "Since that always seems to work pretty well."

Kiri sighed. "Fine, fine… let's go, then." And the two of them left, heading back through the halls towards the rooms that Cort had given them the previous night.

Kaze, Aura, and Lisa watched them go in silence.

"Uh, hey…"

Lisa turned; Ai, Clear, Noa, and the chocobo had returned. However, the girls were wearing worried expressions and Clear had a plainly baffled look on his face that Lisa couldn't help but wonder about.

"What is it?"

"Niichan and Reiko want to talk to you," Noa said, looking fidgety. "Something weird happened when we tried to heal Clear but they won't tell us anything about it."

"I suppose we'd better go down to see them, then," Lisa replied, nonplussed. "This is more something I could do than you two… do you want to come, or not?"

Aura shrugged and stretched. "Ah… nah. I won't pretend I like sitting around and listening to healer talk. I think I'd rather hang out with the little person entourage instead."

"Stop calling us that," Ai snapped. Aura ignored her.

"Kaze?" Lisa probed.

He was silent for a moment. "I'll… go with you."

Lisa nodded, successfully stifling her surprise that he'd volunteered. "Now, Cort said downstairs, right?" she asked Noa.

The girl nodded. "That's right. Just keep going downstairs until there's no more stairs to go down. And they'll be waiting for you there."

"Thank you."

Aura nodded. "Okay, then, we'll see you two later. Don't do anything too disgusting on the way down there, or I'll have to hurt you." And she turned and walked away, with Ai and Clear hurrying after her. The chocobo let out an annoyed "kweh" before it started chasing after them as well.

Noa shook her head. "I hope you can help Niichan and Reiko somehow. I've never seen Reiko in pain like that before…"

Before Lisa could ask her what she meant, she was already off running, trying to catch up to Aura and her friends.

---

By the time that Kaze and Lisa finally made it down to Cort's labs, she had felt the traces of spiritual disturbance and was beginning to work herself into a fine state of anxiety.

Cort had cleared the tables to the sides of the sterile white room, shoved against various pieces of archaic machinery, except for the long low table on which Reiko sat, gripping the edge with white-knuckled hands. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even, but his face was deathly pale and his brows were knitted in deep concentration. He looked, Lisa thought wonderingly, almost as if he were meditating. Cort, plainly worried for his partner's sake, hovered at Reiko's side but said and did nothing until he realized that their company had arrived.

"Reiko, they're here," he murmured, lightly touching the Seru's shoulder. There was a short pause before Reiko sighed deeply and opened his eyes, turning to face Kaze and Lisa.

"Clear—when I tried using my powers to heal him, I… saw why it is that nothing anyone's done so far has helped." Loosing his grip on the table, he stood up and ran his hands through his long hair. "There is something very, very wrong with that kid's heart. It's so contaminated by darkness that he shouldn't even be _human _anymore."

Lisa stared, making no effort to disguise her mingled worry and surprise. "But how can that be? I couldn't feel anything like that at all…"

Reiko shook his head. "It's well hidden but it goes deep. Ai told me what you'd said about it being like oil and water—and that's why whatever healing measures have been tried before just wash off without touching him. Light and darkness as a rule do _not _mix."

"So why were you able to see it?" Lisa asked him.

"Reiko can't heal in the way that most humans and Seru do," Cort explained gravely. "He can manipulate and directly transfer life force. It's something we discovered while we were researching the old legends of his species—it's said that a Juggernaut can leech the life out of humans if they so desire. It's one of the reasons they were so hated—and it's a fearsome ability indeed. But most people have no idea that it goes both ways, that they can give their life force to others as well."

"I did, and I _saw." _Reiko shuddered and made no effort to hide it, shaking his head. "The darkness inside Clear is _alive—_when it sensed me poking around, it _reached _for me. I was just damn lucky that I pulled out in time."

Lisa's heart leaped into her throat. "You weren't—contaminated, were you?"

Reiko shook his head. "Only touched. And I'll be alright. My body's already fighting it off. But it feels so damn creepy—like there's ice in my chest and it's trying to spread."

Lisa took a step towards him, readying her staff, but Reiko shook his head. "Don't even try. Like I said, I'll be perfectly okay soon… and if you're contaminated, you won't be. You're human. Your body won't be able to fight it off."

She sighed, looked to Kaze as if for support, then shook her head. "So what does this mean for Clear, then? He's always seemed normal to me except for the fact that I couldn't heal him…"

"I don't have a clue," Reiko said flatly. "But you haven't got a snowflake's chance in hell at healing him now. Like I said, by all rights he shouldn't even be human anymore, but he still looks and acts like one, so it's not like I have much idea as to what's going on with his body."

Cort shook his head. "There's really only one thing we can tell you. Clear's migraines are probably not just a symptom of his condition, but have some kind of cause in the physical world. Darkness calls out to darkness, after all—that's part of how the Heartless operate as a group force; the darkness inside them allows them to sense each other's presence even when they're separated by distance or unable to 'speak' to each other. It's just conjecture, but I think that it's the darkness inside Clear calling out to nearby Heartless that causes the _human _half of him to feel so sick."

Lisa frowned, then nodded. "I… think I understand what you're saying."

"It… makes sense," Kaze put in, making all three of them look at him curiously. "The boy… he always seems to…" He frowned briefly as he searched for a word. "He starts… to feel pain… shortly before we are attacked. _Every _time we are attacked."

Lisa thought back. "You're right…"

Reiko sighed. "The overall point is, though, that there's something very wrong with that kid, and I don't think any of us have any idea of how it's going to affect him. It could kill him, it could turn him into a Heartless, it could even end up more or less benign. But how are we going to tell him about it?"

Lisa squirmed visibly. "I… I don't think we _should _tell him, not unless we have to. Whatever this darkness inside him is, it's not hurting him directly now, and telling poor Clear would only frighten him. He has so much to process already, and we still need to find somewhere safe to hide him…"

Cort pulled a face. "I don't think that's a very good idea, but… you're the healer in charge of his treatment, since you're the first one who tried to help him. Isn't that how it works?" Lisa nodded. "So I won't contradict your judgment too much. Just don't put it off if his symptoms become any more serious."

"There's just one thing that's bothering me, though…" Reiko said slowly. Kaze, Lisa, and Cort all turned to him. "If Clear only gets those headaches when Heartless are near… _then why does he still have one now?"_

---

"What's it like, having a Seru partner?" Ai asked as she followed Noa down the torchlit halls.

"Well, that came out of nowhere," Noa said, blinking. "Why?"

Ai shrugged. "I don't know. There's not really anything like Seru where I live, and it's kind of an interesting idea. What's it like?"

Looking between Ai and Clear, both watching her curiously, and Aura, who was following the conversation as she walked beside the three of them and the chocobo, Noa sighed. "Well, it's… I don't know, I guess it's like having a friend or a teacher around that you can always trust. Before I was old enough to assimilate with Terra, she attached herself to a wolf's body and followed me around that way. 'Tosan and 'Kaasan have always been busy, and Niichan is so much older than me that none of them were always able to pay a lot of attention to me. But they trusted Terra with me, since she's a Ra-Seru." Noa broke out in a big smile. "She taught me a lot."

"How do you talk to her?" Clear wanted to know. "Since she isn't a human like Reiko, I'm not sure how that would work…"

"A human and a Seru who are assimilated can talk mind-to-mind," Noa explained. "Ra-Seru can talk to other people too if they really want to. That was how Terra talked to everyone, while she was attached to the wolf. But other Seru usually aren't as smart as people are, so it's more like having a loyal pet."

"Wark…" went the chocobo.

"Well, what's your problem?" Ai wanted to know, turning to look at it. The big bird was hanging its head in a gesture so human it was a little uncanny.

"He… almost looks depressed," Clear said, looking the chocobo up and down.

_"I _know what it is that's bothering him," Aura said with a grimace, and reached over to ruffle the feathers of its crest. "It's Yu. This little guy misses him… don't you?"

"Kwaiiii," went the chocobo, looking sad.

"Really? How can you tell?" Noa asked, intrigued.

"You and Clear wouldn't know, because you never met Ai's brother… but while he was still with us, he made a huge fuss over this chocobo all the time. Yu named him 'Chobi', played with him, petted him, took care of his tack, fed him… Chobi was basically Yu's chocobo, and that went undisputed amongst the rest of us." Aura grimaced. "But now, no one's paying all that much attention to him, and while none of us really _mind _having a chocobo around, right now he's more a beast of burden like a pet or a friend, the way that Yu perceived him. Yu was a good kid, and he treated every one of us well—human or not."

"It's a little unfair… making Chobi run us all over the place now," Ai said slowly. "I mean… I don't need him to carry me around anymore, and when Clear gets stronger we won't need him at all. His only real connection to this was Yu. Maybe once Clear stops getting all these headaches, we'll find a place where we can leave Chobi with people to take care of him until this is all over."

"Maybe that would be better for him," Clear agreed. "Poor thing. I'd never thought about it before, but he does seem sad a lot."

Aura frowned suddenly. "And speaking of depressed people… sorry, you guys, but I've got to run. There's somebody I need to find. I'll see you four later, okay?"

And without really waiting for any of them to comment, Aura took the nearest turn, walking off.

Noa blinked a few times, watching after her. "Well, what was that about?"

Ai and Clear just shook their heads, confused.

---

Lisa put her face in her hands and sighed, weighed down with worry for Clear. Just when she thought there might have really been hope for him, too… Why did he, like Kaze, have to turn out to be someone her powers just couldn't reach? It wasn't fair…

Kaze, sitting beside her on the stone bench, watched her silently for a while. "You… don't like to see people suffer," he finally said, in that gentle tone of voice she never heard him use with anyone else.

Turning to him, Lisa tried a smile. It felt awkward and she was willing to bet it looked even worse, so she didn't even try to pretend she wasn't upset. "Even before I became a healer, I was always taught to do whatever I could to help others in need," she told him, running her hands through her hair. "My mother and my grandmother raised me, and both of them practiced Kigenjutsu, which they passed on to me. They both made sure I understood that the skills of Kigen are meant as a purely defensive weapon to protect others before they began my training. And when I learned that I could use magic, I went to the healers' university so that I could learn how to save people as well as protect them. My whole life, that's just the way I've been brought up."

"You're a good person," Kaze said with less hesitation than usual. "Much kinder… than many I have known in Windaria."

Lisa just shook her head sadly.

"To many… it matters more that you _try _to ease their pain… than if you succeed," Kaze insisted.

Lisa looked up at him despairingly. "You're just saying that."

"No." Kaze's gaze was kind but firm as he laid his hand on Lisa's shoulder. "It means more to me… than you could ever know… that you wanted to help me when we met… before you even knew me. That… you never gave up."

"I couldn't possibly give up on you," Lisa told him, starting to blush. "I could never do that to any one of my patients!"

She knew that she had come dangerously close to adding _especially you _to the end of that sentence, but despite the numerous lectures she had been given, drilling her on the fact that she was _never _to let any patient so close to her, she was discovering something frightening.

There was some part of her that no longer cared.

"I know." Kaze was almost, but not quite, smiling; his eyes held hers with an intensity that was making her heart race. "And that's why… I…"

But Kaze didn't finish the sentence; instead, he leaned in a few inches (how had they suddenly wound up sitting so _close _to each other? Lisa wondered dimly), hesitated for half a breath, and very gently pressed his lips to hers.

Shock was a sharp jolt of adrenaline through Lisa's veins as her heart very literally skipped a beat in her chest. She sat thunderstruck for a moment as Kaze slowly began to pull away—she hadn't known that _any _man would have such a chaste, almost _timid _kiss in him; wasn't the masculine mind in general supposed to be so deeply focused on sex that a kiss from a man would be more about want than about love? Confused and amazed and more than a bit properly ashamed of herself for thinking like some sexist, Lisa watched bewildered as Kaze hesitated a few inches away from her.

It was the look in his eyes that got to her: Vulnerable and unsure and even a little bit apprehensive.

_Oh, the hell with it, _she thought, flustered and angry with herself, then leaned in to kiss him back.

The dam broke, and reserve went with it. Lisa wound her fingers tightly into the soft fabric of Kaze's mantle as he held her close, as she felt something deep inside her melt. Their kiss was desperate with long-stifled emotion as they held each other; passionate without the violence of lust behind it. Kaze was gentle despite the weight of raw feeling that surged between them; Lisa, still caught between bewilderment at her own forwardness and the heady, free rush of acting as her heart guided her, felt a little clutch of need in her body that both thrilled and terrified her.

They let each other go and stared for a moment into each other's eyes, both breathing unevenly. Then Lisa sighed and leaned against him, resting her head against his shoulder, and she felt his arm slide around her, holding her there.

Anyone who passed them in that moment surely would have smiled at the picture they made, for they looked as devoted to each other as any lovers ever had.

---

"I knew I was gonna find you up here."

Fabula, who'd been standing on the castle ramparts with her face in her hands as she stared into the distance, started briefly, then turned to look at Aura with a wry smile. "Oh? And how is that?"

Aura smirked. "Let's just say I had a feeling." And the Windarian girl climbed the last few steps to join her there. "So what are you looking at?"

Fabula shrugged offhandedly. "Nothing in particular. This is beautiful country—and you know, despite all the hard times that have befallen this world, it looks exactly the same as the last time I was here."

Rather than examining the landscape, Aura continued to watch Fabula's distant expression and wistful smile. In her experience, whenever a woman wore that smile, it meant that there were memories tied up with it—sometimes cherished, sometimes bitter, but usually sad.

"So, tell me… do you usually get close to the people you Guide?" Fabula blinked and turned to look at her; Aura just shrugged. "I know it's a bit personal, but I'd still like to know."

Fabula sighed. "You will never win prizes for tact," she informed her friend. "Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It depends on the person, really. Some aren't particularly inclined to listen to advice; some keep themselves too distant. Kumo, though—I first met him when he was _very _young, and sometimes he seems like a baby brother to me, or even a son. I can't say that my relationship with him runs anywhere near as deep as Kiri's, but he's dear to me nonetheless. If the two of you ever get to know each other, you'll learn." Fabula turned back to the open air. "But, then again, you always have to remember that nothing stays that way. Others of my kind have remained detached from those they Guide because of that. Because you watch them live their lives when you have none, not any longer. They grow old before your eyes, even as you know that for you, time has come to a stop."

"And then they die," Aura finished for her.

"Yes." Fabula gave a slight grimace. "And it never gets easier, if you let yourself care."

"But you care." It wasn't a question. "Obviously, you care a _lot _if you're willing to get punished by whatever in order to chase after Kumo's heart like this."

Fabula didn't say anything; instead, she continued to stare into the distance as a slight breeze tossed her silver hair in the winds.

"Was it like that in Octam, too?"

Fabula turned sharply and gave Aura a long, considering look through dark and guarded eyes. Knowing that she more than deserved the scrutiny, Aura just stood still and waited.

Finally, Fabula just sighed and turned back to the wall, laying her hands out on the cold stone. "She was a priestess during a time of great upheaval in this country. The king back then had just assumed the monarchy, and he was young and weak-willed, listening too much to the regent who had been set up to govern for him. Conkram was all but openly seditious, and its people were halfway up in arms, ready to silence their new boy-king and his puppetmaster before anything could happen to them, and Octam's soldier-monks were just about all that stood in their way. Archaea was torn in two in a short but bloody civil war, with Octam right at the center of it.

"The head priestess of the oracle who lived in Octam was assassinated, and the priestess I Guided stepped up to succeed her. As the mouthpiece of the oracle, and as the new leader of the order, she became the most powerful force in this nation, and on my instructions she struck out as a neutral faction trying to restore balance to this country.

"She was young, and headstrong, and beautiful. She disagreed with me, often, but in the end she trusted my words almost absolutely. She was naïve to a fault, and her faith in me was her downfall."

Aura listened silently and respectfully, carefully cultivating a picture of this long-dead girl in her mind. Fabula's voice was almost entirely flat, with very little inflection—it was easy for Aura to tell that she was suppressing her emotions. This may have happened hundreds of years ago, but between Fabula's limited contact with the outside world and the attachment she'd had to this girl, it probably still seemed like yesterday to her.

"There was a battle that occurred in these fields between the three armies, the climax of the war. I had always impressed to her the number of lives on her shoulders—all those whose futures depended on the survival of her fighters. And she believed my words too well… in that fight, she sacrificed herself in order to save her men. Peace returned to Archaea, but the cost was too steep for me to bear."

"It was for a good cause," Aura said. "She didn't die in vain."

"But she could have done _so much good _for this world if she'd survived," was Fabula's bitter reply. "The things I'd seen… she was a born peacemaker and a diplomatic leader; she would've been made an archbishop and the leader of all of Octam if she had lived. And I… I could do nothing but watch and realize that I'd gone about the whole thing all wrong."

"Things turned out all right…" Aura told her.

"Maybe. But that doesn't change the fact that she should've lived. _I wanted her to live. _And maybe she would've, if I'd just Guided her better… or if I'd been able to do something…"

Aura didn't say anything this time. The thorn of misery and self-blame went too deep to be removed now; Fabula nursed it as closely as Aura herself could nurse a grudge. But at least it was safe to let her do so—Fabula wasn't exactly the type you'd expect to…

"It wasn't long after she died that I fell into a state of depression and eventually tried to kill myself. My superior, Cruxis Angelus, was the one who directly stopped me. I was put under suicide watch and wasn't allowed contact with anything with scrying properties—or anything reflective; my gift for Sight is strong enough that I can scry with a mirror or even a dish of water if I so choose… and that was the last time I was ever allowed to Guide anyone until Kumo was born. And by that time, I was the only one left still able to Guide him."

"But you still let yourself get attached to him, despite everything you'd gone through," Aura mused.

Fabula shook her head. "I keep telling you, once you know Kumo, you don't have any choice. It's impossible _not _to love him with everything you have. He was so sick when he was little, and yet so unconcerned with his own well-being… Most people with frail constitutions get a little too fond of the attention they receive, but Kumo was never like that. Perfectly altruistic, and so earnestly in love with Kiri… Kumo may be the only person I have ever met with a completely pure soul. And after everything we went through together, and everything I had seen through my years as a Guide… I couldn't just do nothing again when his heart was taken. _No more. _No matter what it means for me—I will help him, as I couldn't help the others. I _can't _just watch someone suffer without stepping in anymore. _Never again."_

Aura was silent for a moment. "You're… a strong person," she eventually told her friend. "It hurts you to be here, but you still hide it, for everyone else's sake. And it takes incredible substance to be able to stand up and defy the laws that bind you."

Fabula shook her head. "No… all it takes is being pushed beyond the limits of what you can stand on your own. I can't pretend to be as good and pure as Kumo is, nor even to be like Kiri, who can be the strength for anyone but himself. I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't take a stand this time."

Aura smiled crookedly. "Yeah, you just tell yourself that."

Fabula grimaced and ran her hands through her hair, then turned away from the fields to face Aura. "Well, enough of me being depressing. Come on—we should go check on Kiri, make sure he's sleeping well."

"You worry about him a lot," Aura observed.

Fabula managed a wry smile. "If Kumo is like family to me, so is Kiri, for all that I haven't directly known him for long. His heart's in the right place, and he really is doing his best, but while he can be anybody's rock to lean on, he can't cope with having to be his own strength. He's in pain and he doesn't know where to turn, or how to accept someone else's sympathy."

"In other words, he's an idiot," Aura said, rolling her eyes, but there was no real hatred in her voice.

"Maybe," Fabula admitted, covering a laugh. "But he's a good man, and he's one who needs support right now. I don't like to see him suffer."

Aura shrugged, then stretched. "Well, whatever. I guess if I get too bored, I might just end up going back and picking a fight with Duke Anal-Retentive McNasty. Which won't be very good for anything but my need to force-feed any and every uppity bastard his own balls." She made a face. "Plus, I hate it when Pacifist gets all miffy at me. She's so _annoying _when she does that."

Fabula laughed; Aura smirked. Together, the two of them headed down the stairs towards the stone corridor in which they had their rooms.

And in the silent hall of stone, both of them heard the echoed song.

Aura whistled softly. _"Listen _to that. Wow. What a voice. Is that a _guy _singing? It's so pretty…"

Fabula frowned a little. "Tenor. Someone with that amount of skill's voice has already changed, and no man with a range one note lower than tenor can still sing something written in treble." Her frown deepened. "I know this song."

"Yeah, so?" Aura wanted to know.

"It's part of an Old Latin concerto. And… I know that voice." Suddenly pale and wide-eyed, Fabula dashed to the door of Kiri's room and flung it open, with a very confused Aura trailing behind her.

"Hey, what's—?" Aura began to call, but stopped short as soon as she got a good look.

He sat on the edge of the bed, a lovely young vision dressed in purest white, his beautiful pale eyes half-closed as he sang. Kiri, deeply sleeping, lay sprawled across the mattress with his head and shoulders on the boy's lap; one delicate and ethereal hand ran in a constant stroke along his hair and down his side, a show of obvious love and devotion.

And yet, he didn't seem to be quite solid; his body almost flickered in the midday light, and Aura could faintly see the bedroom walls through his form. The pure notes of his song were faint, and echoed as though they had to travel a great distance to be heard.

"Kumo…" Fabula whispered, and he looked up as he heard her voice.

Aura jerked in shock. "That's… _he's _Kumo? But—how—?"

Fabula shook her head. "It's an astral projection… like what the others claim to have seen at the opera house. Kumo must have sensed the distress Kiri is in, and he's come here the only way he can to try to help." As she spoke, Kumo gently eased his brother off his lap and stood up, bending down to kiss Kiri's cheek before he began to pad silently towards the two women in the doorway. "If what Kiri has told me is true, then Kumo has done this at least once before."

"Aren't astral projections supposed to look more… solid?" Aura ventured, staring.

"Kumo's heart and body have been separated, and so he doesn't have much power to draw on," Fabula explained as Kumo came to a stop before them. "And having done this more than once…" She took his face in her hands and stroked his cheeks as he closed his eyes in a silent, unhappy sigh. "He can't maintain a true projection, and even this is hurting him. He most likely can't even speak."

"You really love Kiri… that much…" Aura continued to stare, breathless and marveling.

As she watched, Kumo took one of Fabula's hands in both of his, then turned it palm-up and slowly began to trace something onto it.

"Oh—you may not be able to speak, but you can _write _what you need to say, can't you?" Aura said, looking between the Guide and the young Mystarian. As Fabula's eyes grew wide, she frowned, puzzled. "…What is it?"

Kumo let go of Fabula's hand, then stepped backwards into a square of light cast on the floor by the nearby window and slowly faded into nothingness.

"This is…" Fabula shook her head. "This is _not _good. Kumo didn't just come here for Kiri—he had something to tell us, _any _of us that he could."

"What did he write?" Aura persisted.

Fabula slowly turned to her. "Just one thing… the kanji for 'danger'."

---

"Okay, let's take a break."

Noa blinked at Ai. "Huh? But why do you want a break? We haven't even been walking around for very long at all…"

Ai jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "'Cause. Clear is tired."

And he had the sense not to deny it, not when there was a fine sheen of sweat on his milk-pale cheeks. "Sorry. I guess I've just been pushing myself too hard lately."

"Well, there are benches over there," Noa told her new friends, pointing. "Let's go sit down."

Ai steered Clear in the direction Noa had indicated, then forcibly sat him down. "It's your headache, isn't it? It's not better yet, is it?"

Clear just sighed. "I'm sorry for being a burden…"

Noa plopped down next to him, kicking her feet in the air. "Maybe we ought to get you some tea or something," she suggested. "That helps headaches, right? Or maybe you should go to sleep."

Ai nodded. "That always makes _my _headaches go away," she agreed.

Clear just shook his head. "Thank you, but no. I'd rather stay out here, with people. That way, I don't feel _entirely _useless."

"Don't say that."

Clear smiled bitterly; it looked like a grimace. "But it's true, isn't it? Even after all the training I've gone through… to be a warrior, to be a scholar… it's all for nothing now. With these headaches I get, I can't even use the sword that's all I have left of my father to avenge my home. All I am is dead weight to all of you."

"But that's not true!" Noa burst out, jumping back up. "How could you even _think _something that stupid? If you were that burdensome to your friends they'd already have left you behind!"

"Noa's right. Stop acting so depressed! We _care _about you, Clear—and if you hadn't warned us about Ivalice, we'd have just walked straight into the bad guys' hands and none of us would be here now! Just for that we already owe you so much—so don't start acting like you're no big deal to us!"

Clear just sighed and didn't answer.

Ai sulked, but she sat down and didn't press the matter. She hated, hated, _hated _seeing any friend of hers beat him- or herself up all the time… and Clear just wasn't taking the hint. It was _unbelievable _the way he was acting. How could anyone really think that stuff about themselves? Ai just didn't get it.

"Hey, you guys…" All three of them looked up; it was Reiko.

"So you're okay!" Noa broke out into a big smile. "I was worried."

Reiko just huffed at her. "What, don't you have any faith in me at all? It would take more than a little shock to seriously hurt me. _Terra _at least should know that."

The glovelike covering on Noa's hand burst into sudden glow; Noa just raised her eyebrows at Reiko, unimpressed. "Well, _she _says that you better stop overestimating yourself, 'cause one day it'll get you in big trouble."

Reiko pouted. "Come on, don't be such a nag. Jeez."

Ai tried to turn her laugh into a cough, which didn't exactly work; she ended up making a noise like _snerk _that made Reiko give her a look.

"Man, I just don't get any respect here. …Anyway, as long as you guys don't have anything else to do, I was thinking that you might want a tour of the castle." Reiko held up his hands as Ai took a breath to start protesting, shaking his head. "Look—I know it might not seem like it's the best thing to do, but I don't like watching Clear just mope around. This'll take your minds off of stuff until we figure out if there's anything we can do to help him at this point, and besides, if you're going to be staying here for more than a few days, you'll need to know your way around. It's not like one of us will always be around here to help you."

Ai crossed her arms and sulked, but turned to Clear. "What do you think?"

The boy sighed and swiped the back of his wrist across his forehead. "…Okay. It's better than sitting here, anyway."

"That's the spirit," Noa cheered. "Okay! So let's go!"

"Do you wanna ride on Chobi?" Ai asked as Clear stood up.

The young prince shook his head. "…No, it's fine. Besides, I bet he's tired of having to carry me around everywhere anyways."

"If you say so," Ai replied, but she still looked a little disbelieving.

And so, they headed through the winding corridors, back towards the castle's front gates.

"So do you guys wanna see the upstairs or the downstairs first?" Reiko wanted to know.

"Downstairs," Noa asserted. "It's a lot more fun downstairs than it is up here." She turned to Ai and Clear with a grin. "There's all this cool stuff there down in the storage chambers that no one ever touches… I used to play there all the time when I was little."

Reiko snorted. "Yeah, you used to scare your parents half to death 'cause they had no idea where you were. They kept making me and Cort come down and find you."

Noa stuck out her tongue. "Yeah, well, I was never in any trouble."

"Then why was everyone so relieved when Terra showed up to babysit you?"

Noa made a face, but joined in as Reiko laughed. Ai, turning to Clear, smiled and shook her head. There was something really sweet about the familiarity between them—the way that they accepted each other, despite the age and species difference. Not to mention the way that Reiko was willing to make time for his best friend's baby sister.

"And just where do you all think _you're _going?"

Ai blinked and turned back to Noa and Reiko, who had stopped up ahead. Standing in front of them with crossed arms and a distinctly suspicious expression was the blue-haired boy named Vahn, the young captain of the guard.

Reiko glowered, looking almost as sulky as Ai could get. "Downstairs. That a crime?"

_"You _know that's where we've got the experimental weapons chambers," Vahn said in an angry, accusatory tone of voice. "And we can't trust _you _down there! You'd manage to set half of them off in your first minute there!"

"No, I would _not!" _Reiko snapped, red-faced. "And what do I need in there, anyway?" He slapped his hand to his chest. "The only weapon _I'll _ever need is this body!"

"Come on, Vahn," Noa wheedled. "We just wanna show Ai and Clear around! Please?"

Vahn peeked past them to where Ai and Clear (along with Chobi, who'd followed them down the hall) waited. And sighed, running a hand through his tousled hair frustratedly. "All _right, _all _right, _already. Fine. But I'm going with you, just to make sure you don't cause any unnecessary mayhem."

Reiko pouted. "Do you _have _to?"

Vahn rolled his eyes and sighed, then held up his right hand, the one with his Ra-Seru on it. "I won't get in the way, and I don't really want to do this either. Duke's orders. Nobody goes downstairs anymore without a chaperone from the Guard."

"But why would 'Tosan…?" Noa wondered aloud, frowning. "He's never done anything like this before… it's weird."

"Maybe it's just to protect the weapons," Clear suggested. "Since you said there were new ones down there. It's not all that unusual."

Reiko just shook his head. "Maybe, maybe not. I just hope this doesn't hold for Cort's labs, too."

Vahn shrugged. "They're not connected to the rest of the underground parts of the castle, so I don't think so. But this is kinda weird for Duke Nebular. Gala got really mad when he laid the decree today, said it was unfair and that there were still open rooms down there that we could use to house civilians. But the duke said no."

"Today?" Reiko stared, then made a face. "Maybe he's just worried that one of you guys might be here to steal the weapons or something. Or he's just in a snit over the audience before. I heard that your friends Kiri and Aura sort of stuck their feet in it."

"That sounds like them," Ai said with a nod. "They're definitely what you could call 'opinionated'."

"No, it was before—and that's what's odd about it. He's got no real reason, and it worries me." Vahn shook his head. "So I've got to come with you. I'm sorry about this, and I'll try to stay out of the way."

Reiko raised his eyebrows and exchanged impressed looks with Noa. "Well. I guess it's okay. Let's go, before we talk everyone into complete boredom."

And they trooped down the stairs into the badly lit, labyrinthine corridors below.

"I think the castle guard used to have a bar or something down here once," Reiko put in. "They don't anymore, but there are still old wine racks and stuff everywhere. And _lots _of storage rooms. Cort says they were probably dungeon cells, but to my knowledge they were just used to hold kegs of beer for most of the time. But we're almost out of those so they've got all kinds of weird stuff in there now."

Ai made a pouty face. "It's really musty down here."

Noa just shook her head. "Well, people don't come down here all that often anymore, except to leave stuff around or pick it up again." Then she grinned. "But little kids come down here all the time to play, or at least they used to."

Reiko snorted. "I thought your mom was gonna kill you the time you managed to climb on top of the wine rack that had all her favorite vintages in it. Lucky for you that you didn't smash any bottles."

"Did you get in a lot of trouble?" Ai asked Noa.

"Not _too _much…" And she obviously wanted to leave it at that. Ai smirked. Obviously, the memory of the punishment was still too painful. Or humiliating.

"Yeah, let's not go into it." Although Reiko was grinning broadly as he said it. "Anyway, there are some really cool things in the storage rooms that don't happen to be off-limits to yours truly, and—"

But Reiko was interrupted when Chobi the chocobo suddenly perked up and went "KWEH!", bolting past everyone else down the corridors and making a hard right down a side hallway.

Clear blinked a few times. "I wonder what's up with him?"

"Ggggh, he's gonna get lost and we're gonna get in trouble!" Ai started to chase after him. "Come back here, you stupid chocobo!"

"Hey, Ai, wait—" The rest of the entourage piled after her.

They found Chobi peeking through the gap of a nearly-closed door, his feathers puffed out indignantly in all directions. Light seeped out from the two-inch space, and out of the room drifted the whispers of male voices.

"Ai! That's one of the weapons storerooms, you've got to get away from there!" Vahn hissed, red-faced, as he and the others clattered around the bend.

In response, she whirled on him and viciously hissed _"Shh!" _as loud as she dared, stabbing a finger towards the door.

As Clear drew closer to the room, he started to frown, then stopped as though he'd run into a glass wall, gasping and pressing his hands to his forehead. "Oh _God—_what _is _this? This—this feeling—" He squeezed his eyes closed and sank to the ground. "It's like—there's this weird noise in my head—"

Ai turned from the door to him, plainly anxious; Reiko held up a hand to silence her before she spoke. The tall Seru had gone tense as soon as Clear had begun to speak; his eyes were wide but fierce, with none of the gentleness or the rough humor they had displayed before, and their pupils had narrowed almost to the point at which they could no longer be seen.

"Be very, very quiet and listen as carefully as you can to what you hear from that room," he said in a low, hoarse whisper. "Be careful. I have a bad feeling about this."

Vahn gripped the shortsword at his belt and edged closer to the door, with Noa at his heels and Reiko, padding with catlike silence, not far behind.

As soon as they had joined her, Ai turned back towards the crack and strained her hearing.

"…and I have made certain that none of these people will be moving, my liege."

"Excellent." There was something strange and distant about this voice, almost crackly. Ai frowned and turned to the others, a question in her eyes.

Reiko bent low so that his lips were about level with her ear, and explained in a whisper. "This person is speaking over a transceiver of some kind… they're using some kind of mechanical device to communicate. Cort did experiments with them but we never found any use, so they've been stored down here."

"Excellent work," the voice repeated. "Kara and I are not far. We should be here in roughly two days, fewer if the weather allows. You have what we need in your care—deliver it for us, and our master shall surely be so pleased as to grant you the power to join our rank."

"Of course… my lord Azrael."

Ai stifled a gasp. _Oh my God. Someone here is working with those evil people…?_

"Until we arrive, watch your guests carefully. And keep a tighter rein on your wife, Nebular." There was a sharp click, as presumably the communication device shut off.

Ai turned to the others to see that Vahn, Noa, and Reiko had all gone bone white and were standing shocked on each side of her.

"No…" Noa shook her head, edging backwards with a horrified expression. "Daddy… it… it isn't true… it can't be…!"

Reiko bit back a curse. "I knew it… I _knew _there was a reason why the duke refused to see sense… but, damn it…"

Vahn didn't say anything, just slammed the door open with violent force.

The purple-robed duke turned around slowly, a long and jagged sword in his hand and a contemptuous, not entirely sane smile on his face.

"Duke Nebular!" Vahn shouted, his hand on his sword. "By your actions you have not only deliberately risked the lives of your people in an act of betrayal, but have forfeited your claim to the duchy of Conkram! These acts of sedition against our fiefdom and against King Ansem the Wise are unforgivable. Submit yourself to the judgment of the guard—or be subdued by force!"

"But, Vahn…" Noa sobbed, shaking her fists in front of her.

"No… he's right." Reiko put a hand on her shoulder. "Your father hasn't been himself for a long time. Whatever has happened to him… by now it's run too deep to be curable. This madness for power will never cease, unless…"

But before Reiko could finish his sentence, the duke lunged forward, swinging his sword in a crazed arc that Vahn was barely able to catch on his shorter blade.

Reiko grabbed Noa by the shoulders and whirled her around, pushing her at Ai. "Take care of her," he ordered, and turned to Clear. "Get on the chocobo and _run._ Find the guards—and tell them we need backup, it's an _emergency!"_

Clear hesitated for a moment, then nodded. And was off.

Noa clung to Ai, turned away as though she couldn't bear the sight before her—and all that Ai could do without her bow was to hold her friend steady and watch, caught in a grim fascination as Vahn struggled to beat back the duke's advance and Reiko loomed tense and dangerous in the doorway should the man make a break towards the girls.

Tendrils of darkness seemed to lick the duke's long, serrated blade; he struck with a speed and accuracy that was no longer entirely human, and though Ai could not see clearly, she thought his eyes had gone dark and empty almost as though some other entity controlled his body.

Finally, one long slash hit Vahn's sword at a sick angle, cracking the metal almost in two. Vahn fell hard, but instead of finishing him as Ai might have expected, the duke swung around and lunged towards Reiko.

A low, vicious snarl rolled through the room as Reiko's hands curled and darkened and grew those wicked black claws, as blackness wound its way up his arms and streamed like a living thing down his back, his hair stiffening into ridged, untamed spikes all down his spine and into a long tail from which yet more spikelike forks snaked in every direction.

As the duke swung, Reiko swept in with supernatural grace and caught that long, jagged blade in hands that were now half-paw. And though the no-longer-quite-human Nebular struggled, spitting obscenities that Ai had only ever heard Aura say, Reiko kept his hold somehow.

Distantly, Ai heard the clatter of boots on the stone of the corridors, but to her the shouts of the duke and Reiko's savage reverberating snarl and even the steady drip of Reiko's blood onto the ground were louder. She was sickened, and without any weaponry, justifiably terrified, but she still couldn't look away. All she could do was try to hold and support Noa as their Seru defender grappled with what had once been the girl's father.

Suddenly, Nebular jerked and yelled, and Reiko stepped back so that Ai saw for one moment the long silvery blade through the man's body—right before it was jerked away and Nebular crumpled dead to the ground, revealing that Vahn had gotten up again, and had used not his broken blade but a long, swordlike spike that seemed to emerge from the Ra-Seru on his wrist and even now was retracting into it.

And then the guards of the castle were around them and Clear, straight and tall and seeming as though he no longer suffered from any pain standing next to her and looking her through wide and worried eyes and Noa was sobbing and someone was asking in a loud and disbelieving voice what in the holy hell was going on here.

"Gentlemen, we are all in very deep shit," Vahn said, his voice shaking.

"The Heartless are coming," Reiko told everyone, a guttural edge to his voice. "And we need to call council with the duchess—_now."_

---

"…And that's the gist of it," Reiko finished, and sat back down, flexing his bandaged hands a little as though he hadn't quite gotten used to the bindings yet.

Minea sighed and rubbed her temples. She had raccoon eyes, Kiri realized, unable to help being a little surprised by that fact, and she hadn't even bothered to attempt to disguise the red marks on her face that showed she'd cried. But then, there was no real wonder in that. She'd lost her husband, after all, and had been thrown violently into a situation that was rapidly spiraling out of control.

"What can we do?" she asked at length. "There's no doubt that we won't be able to prepare a complete evacuation in time, and if the Heartless overrun this place, the casualties will be so immense that virtually nothing will be left of us. And we can't allow the enemy to obtain Conkram as a strategic position."

There was a long silence. Kiri looked around the wide circle of the council table. Nebular's chair remained empty; Noa, her face pale and drawn, sat in silence between her mother and her brother. Cort had his hand over Reiko's, and whatever grief he felt, he hid—his expression was intense but composed. Vahn, flanked by the two guards Kiri had seen that morning (had it only been that morning? It seemed impossible), just looked tired—completely and utterly exhausted, on the verge of collapse.

There were other representatives of the towns and villages that had once ringed Conkram in brighter days here too, glancing about worriedly or whispering amongst themselves, all plainly fearful for their people. Kiri wondered what baggage, what interests, what half-forgotten hopes and dreams they had brought into this room to lay at Minea's feet—or rather, on her shoulders, adding to the heavy chain he could practically see lying there.

Ai and Clear, across the table from their friends, watched Noa with unashamed worry in their eyes. Kiri wondered if they realized they were holding hands, and decided not. There was something desperate and instinctive in the clutch of their fingers; they'd probably reached out blindly for something to hold on to in their fear for those they had come to know.

Kaze and Lisa also sat together, consciously arm in arm, Lisa leaning into his side and Kaze more hawklike than ever, the air of a guardian drawn about his body like a mantle. If Aura had been taking any notice, Kiri didn't doubt that she would feed Lisa a bullet as she'd been promising for so long—but she wasn't; she and Fabula were intent on Minea, wearing identically wary, focused expressions.

_It's all of a piece here, _Kiri realized. _Each unit, each pair, all of them with an uncertain future…_

He glanced towards Ai and Clear. _Friends, who might become something more…_

Then towards Cort and Reiko. _Partners with everything to lose…_

And, finally, to Kaze and Lisa, Aura and Fabula. _And lovers, and companions. Sets of two, with their hearts and their minds and their lives and everything about them riding on survival._

_And I… somewhere in all of this, I don't belong… because I've lost my other half…_

But Minea, Kiri knew, was another odd one out—and her loss was far fresher.

His ankle was healing. That was a part of it—he no longer felt quite so weak and useless anymore, even if it did still hurt a bit. And he empathized with Minea's state, which definitely mattered.

But more than that, Kiri would decide later, it had been the dream he'd had once Fabula had sent him into spelled sleep to rest—the dream that had allowed him to wake up refreshed as though he'd slept for weeks and weeks instead of mere days. His memory of it was already starting to fade, but one thing stayed with him, and likely always would… the sound of Kumo's voice, the only male voice in all of Mystaria that could manage the lovely spiraling soprano of the duet the two of them had always used to practice, the one in a language so ancient that he wondered if even Fabula could have known it, in the time she had been born.

Whatever the cause, he stood, and spoke.

"There's only one thing we _can _do, and we'll do it." Everyone turned and looked at him, almost startled, though Fabula's crooked smile was undeniably pleased. "We fight. We defend this place as viciously as we possibly can, and we don't give up until every single one of us has bled our last… or until they decide to go away and leave us alone. I've had enough running away. It's time to kick some Heartless ass."

---

Kiri stood on the castle walls and took a deep breath of the late-night air as the cutting wind whipped his hair into his face. A wry smile twisted his lips as he shifted his hand on his Maken and tested his weight against his still-injured ankle. No sudden stab of pain, no gripping agony—he had to admit, he was glad for it. He _wanted _to fight. He _wanted _to strike out, to prove his worth against a powerful enemy.

And Azrael was going to be in this wave. He had to test himself against the one who seemed to be the leader of those who had taken Kumo away from him.

"Ready?"

Kiri turned; Fabula, standing a few notches down on the wall, smiled to him and waved with a hand that already held a chakram.

"They'll be here soon—you can see them now."

Kiri just nodded and sighed.

He, Aura, Fabula, Kaze, and Lisa were stationed on the front wall, along with Reiko, who would be communicating with Cort via signals in order to coordinate their attacks. Various members of the guard accompanied them; Vahn, the two fighters Gala and Songi, and even Noa would be with them, using the magic of the Seru as well as old-fashioned bows, spears, and other projectile weapons to keep the Heartless at bay. Ai and Clear, along with the duchess and more manual fighters, had organized the people of Conkram and countless refugees into a waiting force inside just in case something happened to the walls, heaven forbid.

"There!" a scout yelled, pointing. "There they are—the succubus and the evil mage!"

Kiri frowned and leaned forward, squinting to get a better view.

It was them, all right—only Kara would be wearing that ridiculous fetish getup in this wind. She marched (if marching was what you could call it; it looked more as if she was sauntering to Kiri) next to a tall man swathed in layers of dark, heavy, expensive-looking hooded robes. All those layers of clothing were draped over an impressively tall, square-shouldered figure whose skin, as far as Kiri could see, was as pale as that of a corpse. Pouches and vials hung from tooled gold-and-leather belts about his solid waste, probably spell components or something. Kiri allowed himself a derisive snort. _Any _Mystarian mage could easily do without the powders and liquids earthbound witches and wizards toiled with slavishly. The connection to Doukyou—and therefore to the entwined yet separate magics of mahou and madou—lay within a Mystarian's heart.

It was what Azrael Astaroth held in his hand that made Kiri's frown deepen into a disbelieving scowl.

"What in the hell does a mage do with a mace and chain?" he asked aloud, baffled.

The weapon looked to be a real bruiser—two-foot tooled ivory-and-ebony handle, what looked like a solid steel two-foot chain, and then a giant spiked ball that had to be at least forty or fifty pounds. And Azrael held it casually as he walked, letting the big thing swing back and forth carelessly, almost merrily.

"I have no clue, but let me just be honest and say that's the most bass-ackwards thing I have _ever _seen in this country so far," Aura said helpfully.

Kiri just shook his head, turning back to them. "Hmm. I see the usual assortment of Shadows, Darkballs, and Invisibles. Though, I don't doubt that these two can call up a couple of Darksides if they really want to. 'Cause it just _can't _be as easy as all that."

"Archers ready!" Reiko suddenly bellowed; various guards and soldiers readied their bows as Kaze and Aura loaded their guns and joined them.

Kiri just waited, silent. Cort and Reiko had already said that their small unit would work separately from the rest of the defenses, since they had more experience with fighting Heartless and actually _winning _than the people here, but that they were required to respect commands even if they didn't have to fall into ranks like the archers and lancers here.

There were flashes at the corner of Kiri's vision; at the same moment he heard Reiko shout _"Fire all!" _and there was a sweet buzz through the air as arrows rained like justice down on the Heartless below, punctuated by the thundering cracks of gunfire. A fierce chill swept along the backs of Kiri's arms up to his shoulder blades, making the nape of his neck prickle, with the love of battle roiling in his blood behind it.

The squeals of injured Heartless spiraled up to Kiri's ears, and he let a slow smile creep across his lips. He'd needed this, and badly—the end of helplessness, a chance to redeem himself from the abysmal failure of Garoh.

Reiko was calling for mages now in order to give the long-range fighters a chance to reload or ready their next weapon; though Aura stayed in her position, Kaze fell back to put a second round into his gun, giving Lisa and Fabula the chance to join his sister at the battlements.

Lisa lifted her staff into the air and called out a command; light flared brilliantly from the crystal at its tip. Not off-balance anymore, Kiri noted with a smile as the Heartless shrieked below. No, this was the most powerful he'd ever seen Lisa's light spells since the two of them had met. She glowed for all the world as if she were a Kirishitan saint, emanating holy power in a steady expanding radius that resembled a shockwave, erasing Shadow and Darkball Heartless at the front of the ranks.

Fabula, meanwhile, had begun a rapid battlechant, standing firm with her hands outstretched as the wind whipped her hair and skirts back. An arcane glyph was already beginning to flicker at her feet, telling Kiri that she was preparing some type of major working. The day-to-day battle spells she used, he knew, consisted of super-magnetizing the circle of ground her black hemispheres hit, crushing whatever enemies waited there with gravity itself. He wondered now what she was preparing—something similar, or an entirely new spell he hadn't seen yet? She had, as she'd told him, been a time wizard once—the highest class of time mages. And she'd retained all those skills.

She looked for all the world like a goddess from the primal days when the world was as yet young and untamed, Kiri mused. Feral and uncontrolled and bestial, bound by the chains of righteousness, ready to rain judgment down upon the unfaithful. The words she spoke were bitter and acid, sharp as though she spat knives instead of an incantation, and dangerous. Unpredictable.

But Kiri's wonderings were caught short when she cried out and flung her arms skyward. The casting glyph flickered and expanded in a rush, then evaporated like so much dew on a hot summer day. For a moment nothing happened, and Kiri was about to ask her if she'd miscast or something when the scream of something falling fast cut through the air.

Amazed, Kiri looked skyward with a gasp—there was a giant boulder moving so fast it was literally blazing roaring down from the heavens dropping out of the clear night sky. It fell with a shriek, crashing viciously in the midst of the Heartless horde with a sound like a bomb going off and sending flaming pieces of itself as well as giant divots of torn-away ground flying in all directions.

Breathless from the glory, Kiri turned back to Fabula, who was standing with her left arm outstretched and pointing into the mass of the enemy, a light sheen of sweat glistening at her collarbones as her chest heaved, a dangerous look in her eyes.

"Whoa," Kiri told her. "And let me just say—_whoa. _What in the hell _was _that?"

Fabula sighed and relaxed, sweeping her hair back though a few tendrils still clung at her face. "Meteorite," she told him decisively, the slightest tinge of fatigue to her voice. "Very powerful. Very dangerous. It's as close to mastering the legendary Meteor spell as I ever came—I would have, in a few years, but I was made a Guide before then."

Still staring wide-eyed at her as if seeing her in a new light, Kiri let out a slow and impressed whistle. In the background, he heard Reiko yelling again, but all that held his attention was Fabula shaking her head and the smile which nonetheless pulled at her lips until he heard the word "cannon".

"Say _what _now?" He whirled around to see Aura helping a few of Conkram's guard shoving a big black vessel up to the edge of the battlements, loading it with heavy-looking, bowling-ball-sized shot.

"Cannons," Aura informed him, grinning. "You know, those big things that let you shoot lots of nice interesting stuff at the bad guys to make big explosions."

"I've… never seen one," he managed, staring.

"If you've got sensitive ears, you might want to cover them," Fabula told him. "They're loud."

"I'll keep that in mind."

_"Load!" _Reiko yelled.

Aura shoved the shot in. Kiri edged away, giving the appliance a dubious look.

"And _fire all!"_

Kiri covered his ears just in time, but even so it sounded as though the castle wall itself had been blown to hell right next to him. There was another, not-quite-so-deafening explosion as the shot hit inside the ranks of Heartless, putting quite a few of them away.

"Fire at will!"

And then lots _more _explosions.

When he caught Fabula mouthing "it's safe", he finally uncovered his ears. They were ringing. "Just how badly am I bleeding?" he asked, dazed. "'Cause I think that sound just killed something in my ear canal."

"Oh, stop being so theatrical," Lisa scolded, though she came over in hurrying steps and peeked at the sides of Kiri's face just in case. "They are not. You're perfectly fine."

"I don't _feel _perfectly fine. My head's all floaty-feeling and I keep hearing echoes that aren't there," Kiri told her, pouting.

"How pathetic _are _you, looking all shell-shocked and traumatized just _hearing _a cannon go off near you?" Aura asked him. "You wouldn't survive five seconds in Windaria."

"I would never want to."

_"Children," _Fabula said warningly, and they fell silent.

"All ranks at ease," Reiko called, and silence fell over the battlefield.

However, it was broken by the dark and rasping voice that rose from the battle-scarred fields.

"Through blood, and bone, and sacrifice… through the blackness of a corrupted heart…"

Kiri leaned over and cursed—it was Azrael, and he stood holding one of the vials, which held something looking like blood, in one hand and his mace in the other. Kara, wearing a complacent smirk, waited at his side with her arms crossed.

_"Rise! _And destroy all in madness—_Shokanju!"_

He tossed the vial into the air, and swung his mace into it, crushing the entire thing with a flash and a sick shockwave of power.

Kiri felt, actually _felt _the blood drain from his face. "Oh, _shit."_

"What? What am I missing?" Aura asked, frowning.

"He's a summoner, but the way he's doing this—God, it's all wrong! Summoning is an art of absolute precision, and Mystarians and even your brother shatter the vessel of the summon as perfectly as we can, with a sword strike or an even explosion, as a way to direct our instructions and maintain control, but—with that mace there's no way he can do that!" Kiri was shaking and didn't bother to hide it. "He's _deliberately _calling something that _no one _will be able to command!"

At that moment, the ball of light that had risen from the shattered vial sent out a wide wave of light, which swept into the form of a bandaged and chained giant with mad green eyes which swirled around, then fixed on the castle walls.

"We've got to destroy that thing, or—" Kiri broke off his words impatiently, then flipped his Maken into its heavy transformed state, pulling a Mist bottle from his belt. "Kaze! I can't do this on my own!"

The wind picked up again, and blew Kaze's cloak back from his shoulders to show that the jewel set into the side of the Magun was already glowing fiercely.

And Kiri turned back towards the monster walking unevenly towards them as Kaze let out the hoarse yell that signaled the summoning gun's transformation.

Kiri breathed out a long stream of Mist as he waited, and focused. "Be consumed by the flames of your own inner soul!" He tossed the bottle, and slashed. "Play it! The Minuet of Passion!"

His crimson Ittouju erupted from its glass shell with a vicious snarl just as Kaze began to speak.

"The burning hot fang, Cardinal Red!"

Kiri felt power bunch and flow through the air as his Ittouju hissed and flared its ridges, warning the out-of-control monster away.

"The blazing heart of the hurricane, Deep Crimson!" Peeking over his shoulder, Kiri caught sight of Kaze flipping his second bullet into the Magun. "And finally, the strength of steel, Burnt Sienna!"

And he leveled the heavy gun, tightening his finger on the trigger. "Incinerate! I summon you—_Shokamju Ifrit!"_

The beast that formed from the winding Soil was also a giant, a mechanical beast wreathed in flames. Kiri's Ittouju circled it questioningly, and then the two of them flashed towards the monster.

The giant thing swatted at them, energy crackling around its fists, but Ifrit negated the attack with a thrown fireball, and the Ittouju weaved out of the way.

Kiri yelled, and both summons converged on the giant. Everything else was lost in an explosion worthy of Fabula's Meteorite spell merged with every cannon in Conkram going off at once.

They felt, rather than saw or heart, a large part of the walls melt away, crumbling into gravel—but more importantly, Azrael's summon was gone.

But Lisa suddenly dropped to her knees. "This horrible spirit I feel—" she half-gasped, half-whispered, just before Kiri sensed the flow of power in the air and swung around.

In the center of the exposed courtyard, Clear had dropped to his knees, nearly seizing. There were bluish-purple stripes like giant veins interlaced over his skin, and his eyes were blank with power. Everyone, even Ai, had backed away from him, even though Kara and Azrael were wading through the wreckage of the castle even as bolts of raw energy began to spark over Clear's hunched form.

Reiko, ashen, ran to the inner side of the battlements. "Everyone _get back! _That boy is massing power and he won't be able to control it for much longer! Unless we get everyone away and get this place shielded he's going to destroy _everything!"_

A female voice echoed through Kiri's mind at that moment. _Focus your mind and your heart on protection! And trust in the powers that guided you here!_

Seeing Fabula already preparing reflective spells and Lisa imploring the spirits for help, Kiri did as he was bid, numb and still half in shock.

There was no sound, only a bright light that swept from Clear's body to engulf the entire area. And everything—_everything_—started to melt the way that the wall had when the summons had been destroyed.

When Kiri could see again, all of Conkram had been leveled, and a thin bubble of power had enveloped its people… all but Clear, who lay unconscious at the center of it all, on hard bald ground.

Kara and Azrael, also unfazed by the explosion, finally reached him.

Kiri ran forward, thinking only that he had to do _something, _but the barrier that had protected him would not let him through. And so he could only watch as the summoner and the succubus stood on either side of Clear.

"The power of Omega… a truly fearsome force," Azrael commented dryly.

"But no matter, because the third cornerstone is now ours," Kara replied. And looked up at Kiri, and smiled. "Have fun with our little parting gift, now."

Darkness wreathed them, and they—as well as Clear—were gone.

The protective bubble burst just as Kiri felt the earth shift and turned with a sense of dread to see that three Darksides now loomed above the refugees of Conkram.

Aura swore faintly, but before Kiri could even acknowledge the despair in his bones, Reiko stood and strode over to them.

"You worry about getting everyone out of here," he shouted. "I'll handle this!"

"Reiko—" It was Cort's voice; Kiri saw that he was standing pale and shaking in the wreckage, his eyes wide with fear for his partner.

Reiko held up a hand, then looked over his shoulder at his partner and friend.

And smiled.

Even as he helped herd everyone away from the scene, Kiri couldn't help but watch. Black swept over Reiko's body in one sleek and dangerous moment, and with an ear-shattering roar, what had been a human-looking creature was now something like a demon and a dragon and a half-remembered childhood nightmare all in one.

It had horns and claws and vicious teeth and Kiri could sense the raw power coming off of it—him—in waves. And he dove into the Darksides the same way he'd attacked a horde of Invisibles only a few days ago.

But the Darksides were strong and gave no quarter.

Kiri tried to keep his attention on the civilians instead of the inhuman squalls of pain and the squeals of the Heartless, but he couldn't. And so he was just peeking over his shoulder when Reiko—the Juggernaut—buried under the three Darksides and obviously losing the fight, twisted and hissed and breathed a white-hot stream of fire that evaporated his foes.

"Reiko—!" Cort called, ash-white and frantic.

The Seru melted back into human form; even from the distance Kiri could see the blood that covered Reiko's body.

That faraway face turned; Reiko took a few hesitant steps forward…

…and collapsed.

(TBC)


	25. Interlude: Forze del Male

Kokoro no Hanashi

INTERLUDE

:Naze Nani:

**Chorale & Valse:** It's finally over, and all I can say is _thank God._ This four-part story arc of KnH took so much out of me to write, especially with my class load this year. Finishing up Valse Vivace in particular felt like running a marathon or something—but now I'm done with it, and so I can focus on the next part of the story. How did you like Clear's role in things? Have I established my sadism yet? Hehe… don't hurt me!! (runs away)

**The Opera Populaire and the Phantom crew:** I know that PotO is a bit of an odd inclusion in a fanfic like KnH, but then again, take into account that one of my best buds is a complete PotO fangirl, and that KnH was "born", so to speak, during a long school-orchestra trip to NYC in order to see PotO, amongst other things. It was kind of fun to have Erik around—plus, his inclusion helped to establish better grounds for Kumo's periodic appearances.

It was actually having PotO around that gave me the idea to name Chorale & Valse after musical terms ("valse" means "waltz" if you haven't guessed), actually.

You should get used to the fact that a number of things I love dearly will be making appearances in the Hanashi trilogy—from anime and games to books, like PotO and a series that you won't be seeing until Hikari no Hanashi, but which I personally owe a lot to.

**And, speaking of Kumo:** Believe me, he'll show up _way _before you expect him to, but in a very left-handed fashion. Once again, just warning you so you don't hurt me. (smile)

**Reiko, Cort, and everyone else at Conkram:** Legend of Legaia is definitely one of my favorite fandoms, _ever, _so it was inevitable that everyone got to poke their noses in for the purposes of this story. I took a few liberties with the characters—making Noa older, for one thing, as in the original game she's only about ten years old. She needed to be closer to Ai and Clear in age to relate better to them. (I didn't have to edit anybody else's age, though; for the record, Vahn is 14, Gala and Songi are 17, Cort is 27, and Reiko is 25.)

I apologize to anyone who knows the game because of Mei's absence; I had originally planned to include her, but it never seemed to be the right time, and then the chapter was suddenly over. Eheh.

But it seemed like there was a lot of talk in the Valse chapters because of the presence of Seru, since I had to explain both their existence and why they only live in certain parts of the world now! Combining lots of worlds into one is hard work sometimes… (sweatdrop) However, I'm mostly satisfied with the result. Especially because I got to use Reiko, who I utterly adore. He's such a sweetie. Hehe…

**Yu:** "Courage" is definitely not the last time you'll see him, but it'll be a while. Sorry for all that… but it's a major part of the plot. I recall warning people in the first NN that I'm an evil little bitch of an authoress…

**Clear:** See above. How many of you figured out what really caused his migraines the entire time before Cort and Reiko explained it? And how much have you found out from him about what's really going on in this country? There were a lot of clues in his dialogue through Chorale & Valse, if you care to go back and take a peek.

Then again, it feels like KnH is moving along pretty quickly now, actually! A lot fewer of the upcoming story arcs are going to take two chapters, and I am _definitely _over halfway done. It's a good feeling.

**Kaze:** Somehow or other, he has developed some kind of disability without me looking, which is why he has so much trouble communicating. If he could write more easily (remember, Kaze is right-handed!), I'm sure he wouldn't talk at all in favor of using that instead, but he can't. Of course, my mother is the expert on developmental disabilities, so I'd have to go to her to find out whether Kaze is displaying signs of autism or something else. I _hate _it when my characters start doing stuff like this behind my back.

**Kaze and Lisa:** All I have to say is, _man, _it took them long enough. They have excuses, of course—aside from his mystery disability, Kaze is surprisingly woman-shy, and Lisa has spent quite a long time suffering from her "healers aren't supposed to get involved with their patients" complex. So it's really a huge accomplishment that they managed to kiss at all, even if I _do _think it's pathetic.

…_very _pathetic.

Besides, Aura probably would've beheaded Lisa if she'd made a move on Kaze before now, even though they've been silently falling for each other all this time.

But now we get fun romance to add to the other happy things in the story!!

…Er, right. Well, they may not get too long to rejoice in their newly-hooked-up-bliss between traveling and the Misadventures of Kiri Madoushi, believe me when I say their relationship will continue to develop. Because, believe it or not, I _do _happen to be a fervid Heartshipper. (grin)

**Rating Change:** FYI, there is a _high _probability that this fanfic's rating will be upped to "M" over the next chapter because of an episode of sexual violence that will likely be fairly detailed. Hence, make sure that you're either checking your own author's page, mine, or the "Rating: All" version of the FF:U fanfic page to catch future updates. And, of course, there will be other mature content in the upcoming chapters, as you've probably expected for some time.

**Upcoming:** After the major event upcoming in the next chapter, we'll be heading back to visit the Comodeen and the survivors of Forlorn Hope (oh come on, you love those guys!!), and then we'll be going somewhere new—namely, the town of Fuyushin, and then Port Bellebane (remember that place?), after which we'll finally go to Ivalice. (Holy _shit, _is that all I have left? My God, I may be starting Hikari no Hanashi sooner than I thought I would!)

While I'm working on chapters, you'll be able to find my notes on my progress (as well as my usual bitchings about life and all the good stuff that comes along with it) on my LiveJournal. And while you're there, you might as well want to head to the FF:U community, on which you'll find FF:U Before, After, After Spiral, and After 2—and hopefully, before too long, Sou no Kizuna (the FF:U novel) as well. In addition to these goodies, you can find my FF:U icons and exclusive Hanashi trilogy content, including art and concept sketches, there.

Just look out for the occasional spoiler…

**Other Works:** I'm currently working on another FF:U fic, "Midnight", as well as a oneshot about my Mystarian OCs Kuroi Hoshi and Haiiro Arashi, so keep an eye out for those while you're waiting for KnH updates. Hehe.

**Music:** One of the things I love about writing is that I can't do it unless I've got music playing in the background. Hehe. It's not as much a pain as you might think—although if you were ever around when I was working I'd probably annoy the living crap out of you, since I've been known to leave the same song on repeat for at least an hour on end before deciding I need another one for a different mood.

So what's it been lately? Well, as of today, Evanescence, of course!! I just got their new CD "The Open Door" the other day and have been immensely enjoying it. Have I mentioned how much I absolutely _adore _Amy Lee's voice? She's one of only three women who have that kind of voice, the one that makes me fall prostrate on the floor in drooling worship (the other two are Utada Hikaru, the lovely young lady who sings all the Kingdom Hearts theme music, and Shimatani Hitomi—who you've no doubt heard of if you like Inuyasha. She's Kagome's seiyuu and sings the last opening theme of the series, Angelus).

…Well, okay, maybe this is just a blatant plug for Evanescence. SO WHAT? SO I'M A STARK RAVING MAD EVANESCENCE FANGIRL, WHO CARES?!?? I LOVE YOU, AMY LEE!!

(shifty eyes) …ahem.

As you've no doubt seen, music is a large element in Kokoro no Hanashi. Kiri's training and practice, as well as Kumo's pure voice, are part of that recurring theme, which you'll likely see through HnH and SnH too. (I can't believe I haven't given Fabula the chance to sing yet! Why? Well—you'll find out eventually. Hehehe…)

**Unlike most of the other oneshots that come with these interludes, this one is both _very _important to the storyline and takes place roughly at this chronological point. So pay close attention, because you've got some important character information as well as a nice kick in the chest coming to you here. Why? Well, you'll get the chance to see the other side for once here…**

---

Forze del Male

"I dream in darkness, I sleep to die. Erase the silence—erase my life. Our burning ashes blacken the day; a world of nothingness—blow me away."

---

The light of the candles flickered and cast soft shadows over the harsh decadence of the lavishly furnished hall as wax dripped from the multitudes of brass candelabras onto the deep blue of the tablecloth and the deep polished wood of the long table itself.

A sensuous silhouette against the low blaze in the fireplace set in the wall, the succubus Kara walked slowly to the table, running her long fingers over the backs of several chairs until she stopped and reached over the plate before her to select a shiny apple from a silver platter of fruit that was only beginning to show the stain of tarnish. Flicking her long crimped hair, Kara brushed her lips over the skin of the apple and looked through her eyelashes at Azrael, who leaned against the chair that would normally be occupied by the liege lord of the castle, a goblet of bloodred wine in his hand and a cold smile on his face.

"It went well, wouldn't you say?" he asked mildly, the rich bass of his voice as beguiling as poisoned honey, too soft to echo even in a room like this one, whose stone walls and high ceilings invited broad acoustics.

Kara let her lips twist into a smirk and finally set her teeth into the apple, keeping her eyes on Azrael the entire time as she bit a chunk out of it with an oddly polite viciousness.

"My master is well pleased with your work," a figure reclining against the walls in the dark said.

"As long as Kagami-kun says so," Kara purred.

"It took longer than expected for the dark poison to eat away at his consciousness enough for him to be taken," Azrael allowed, taking an elegant sip of his wine. One dark bead of liquid remained on his ash-pale lips, making him look slightly vampiric. "And it was interesting that he would regain humanity so close to the end. Likely the presence of another cornerstone… wouldn't you say?"

"Likely," the mirror-demon said. Despite the insanity that had hung about him ever since he had gained the form he resided in, his voice was cold with practicality and intelligence if a bit sibilant in the quiet. "And that is the last one."

"Of course, it won't be as easy as that," Kara put in casually, dropping the apple on the floor and reaching instead for a leg of chicken. "They'll have figured it out by now, even as stupid as they are—and she'll be well guarded."

"It's only a matter of time," was the mirror-demon's response. "And we must remember our duties to our master. His vessel is… unreliable… and our highest priority is the Gate. We must retrieve that last heart."

Azrael gave a slow nod, and for the briefest moment Kara was able to see the glint of his eyes beneath his low hood. "It's been eighteen years since this world's Door was first opened. It's taken long enough for you to get a foothold in this place, hasn't it?"

If Azrael had been speaking to a human, no doubt those words would have ignited temper, but the mirror-demon simply shrugged. "Perhaps. There was interference then, after all—that meddling King, and the power of the Windarians. But it was not a total loss—I am able to travel here by the Dark Tunnel now. And it will not be long before we can open the Gate for the master and initiate another Dominion."

Kara continued at her leg of chicken as she watched them. She was content to listen to the mirror-demon talk; she was used to his orations after working with him for so long.

"The next part is up to you," Azrael told her, wearing that ghostly smile.

She smiled. "Of course, my _darling _Azrael." And setting down the chicken, she stalked over to him, gave him a dark seductive look as she postured under the caress of candlelight.

"I would accompany you, but I seem to be running low on summon components." Azrael shrugged. "Bloodletting takes time, but it is a chore that must be tended to."

Kara's smile widened. "I have an idea…" She leaned in. "Having to do with our quiet 'guest'." And she laughed. "Haven't you wanted to taint that innocence? Just longed to wring a few drops of that purity away?"

Azrael considered her for a moment, then smirked. "You certainly do have a twisted side."

Kara just laughed, traced her fingers over his robes, and sauntered off, knowing that he'd follow.

The doors were of solid burnished holly, with heavy bands of iron around their planks. The hinges were badly oiled and even now rust was starting to eat away at the metal, and as Kara pushed the doors they gave with an ear-rending shriek of protest, spilling the vague candlelight into the dark room.

A few of the Heartless in the room blinked at her out of annoyed yellow eyes, but they did little more than chirp and resettle themselves to shield their vision from the offending light. Kara ignored them. She was only here for the young man sitting in the center of the room, after all.

When a body and heart were separated and the body continued to exist into reverting to darkness, that body was rendered little more than a corpse or a doll. It continued to "live", suspended in a half-existence, but there was no longer any will or mind.

But under the power of their master's Suggestion, such an empty shell as this one became a quiescent slave to the darkness, a puppet with intelligence but no true _mind. _The creature remaining was capable of sustaining itself, and one could trust it by itself, but it followed orders absolutely and any traces of mind or soul were entirely suppressed without a heart present.

Someone else, Kara suspected, would have found the translucent, purple-to-pink fans of his wings to be lovely. They fluttered slowly from side to side, a reflexive motion that sent glittery showers of light off only to fizzle to nothing against the cold floor. He stared blankly into the distance even as his right hand moved back and forth over the head and back of the Heartless sitting next to him, stroking it absentmindedly and eliciting a purr that even Kara found amusing.

White was too pure a color for him, she thought to herself, looking him up and down. He looked better in the clothes she had given him once he had arrived and been awakened. The long sheaths of fabric that draped over his shoulders like far longer versions of her own shoulderpads were a pale spring green in color, and emblazoned with thin golden Kirishitan crosses that ran their length. The yellow ribbon that connected them also fastened the long thin shirt she'd dressed him in, which clung closely to his slim torso and exposed two inches of his pale skin straight from his throat to the V just below his navel where the fabric of his leggings began. That yellow ribbon wound in an X pattern of laces from his collarbones to his waist, here forming a belt that cinched the delicate but highly risqué outfit together.

He had such slim arms for a male, like those of a little girl. His long sleeves clung to them, gathering in folds at his elbows and wrists due to the slenderness of the joints. More yellow ribbon formed an X at his wrists and ankles; heart-shaped holes on the outsides of his thighs and at his feet displayed still more smooth, pale skin; Kara, watching, decided that she liked the way his bare toes curled against the cold, and considered reaching past his wings to run a finger down the length of his exposed spine.

The only item of clothing she'd let him keep was the soft circle of periwinkle ribbon that encircled his throat; it and the longer ribbon fixed to it at the nape of his neck, she felt, had been the only sexy touch to his appearance before.

He continued to stare straight ahead even as she approached him, as if he wasn't aware of her presence at all; for all she knew, he wasn't. She couldn't be sure what someone in his condition could sense, nor the extents to the impairment of his abilities.

She touched his cheek to turn his face towards her and looked appraisingly into his blank blue eyes—which had, of course, changed from their natural shade when he'd been placed under Suggestion. She had never seen him with his heart, but his face had all the hallmarks of naïveté—the full cheeks and soft lips, the absence of any scar or disfiguring mark, the intentionally soft and fluffy cut to his white hair which was likely the mark of a parent's care.

It was enough to make her _sick. _But at least now she and Azrael would be able to absolve him of part of that sin of innocence.

"You're coming with me," she ordered, and rose.

Obedience, of course, was inevitable—and he followed her down the corridors towards the plush and silken room that would shortly become his personal hell.

Devoid of emotion as those unnaturally blue eyes were, they would fill with silent tears before the night was through.

And as Kiri Madoushi battled with friends and allies to see those of Conkram alive over the passage to Octam, the one dearest to him wept first tears, then blood…

Between the cruel whims of Kara the succubus and the arcane needs of the evil summoner Azrael Astaroth, Kumo Makenshi, who had already lost his heart, lost his innocence that night.

(TBC)


	26. The End of Innocence

Kokoro no Hanashi

See disclaimer in the Prelude

Kiri eased back in the chapel's pew and sighed, watching his breath puff his bangs off his forehead and staring lazily at the beautifully patterned stained glass that made up most of the wall behind the altar. Even after being down here for an entire day and sleeping like the dead for an unheard-of _nine whole hours _last night, his whole body ached all over.

Well, no real wonder—after all, getting the entire population from Conkram to Octam in two days and the sleepless night between had taken a real toll on him, especially after he'd called the Minuet, one of his more powerful summons. Lisa had gotten a look at him this morning, proclaimed that he'd managed to undo a large part of the healing on his ankle, and that he was to lie around and do as little as humanly possible this morning so that the new spells she'd laid into it would take effect.

And Kiri definitely wasn't arguing. It hurt to walk, hurt to _breathe _if he didn't sit still. So he'd picked this empty church of an unknown faith and decided it was as good a place to lounge as any, especially since he felt that Somebody Upstairs had surely had _some _hand in his survival lately. He didn't have enough fingers and toes to be able to count the number of times he'd almost died, _should have _died since he'd left home. So he might as well give credit where credit was due—with his goddess, and his patron spirits, and the brave companions who had always been around to back him up.

He was just starting to drift off to sleep when he heard the creak of the doors opening behind him.

Gritting his teeth, Kiri sat up and peeked over his shoulder, then scowled. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" he asked in a suspicious, accusing tone. "And, Cort, what are you _thinking, _encouraging him?"

Reiko laughed; it sounded more like a cough. "I could say the same for you."

"Yeah, but _I'm _not the one who nearly got killed back in Conkram," Kiri pointed out as Cort and Reiko maneuvered into the pew behind him, with Reiko leaning heavily on his partner the entire time.

"He couldn't sleep," Cort explained, smiling, not removing the supportive arm around Reiko's waist even once the two of them were seated. "And both of us want to thank you for everything you've done."

Kiri felt his face get hot and turned back around, embarrassed. "Thank Lisa, not me. She's the expert on field first-aid, the rest of us just helped."

"You 'just helped'," Cort retorted with a teasing smile. "All right. You 'just helped' get me over to him, and then you 'just helped' me half-carry him back to the others."

"And you 'just helped' straighten out my bones so that Lisa could start healing them, and then 'just helped' tear up bandages for everyone who needed them," Reiko added. "And _then, _you 'just helped' keep everybody moving with minimal rest without having any explosions. You 'just helped', my _ass, _Kiri. It's mostly thanks to you and your friends that we all made it here in one piece."

Kiri sighed. "You can't say 'all'."

Reiko sobered. "No, we can't say 'all'. But besides those two exceptions, we _are _all here, alive. _Safe. _And you refuse to take any credit. Your chivalry never ceases to annoy me."

"Once again: Thank Lisa. All of us were just following _her _orders." Kiri closed his eyes and leaned back again. "So stop embarrassing me and go _rest _already."

"You're so modest." Cort reached forward and laid his hand on Kiri's shoulder. "And you need to stop blaming yourself for Clear. So long as you take every failure you experience so personally, you won't be able to move onward. Even Ai has accepted that there's nothing she could've done then, but that she can continue to fight for him now."

Kiri just sighed. "This is the fourth time," he said in a soft and bitter voice. "The _fourth time _I haven't been able to do anything for someone close to me when the Heartless and their masters come to attack us. And I'm beginning to wonder if there'll ever be a time when I can help the ones who are important to me…"

"Listen to yourself," Cort told him. "You _have _saved the rest of us, but you're letting your one failure overshadow all of that, never mind that it's a wrong that can be righted in the long run. Literally _nothing _could have penetrated the shields the Ra-Seru directed us to create to protect us from the magic that overwhelmed Clear, and _all _of us feel the bitterness of being prevented from helping him. Stop beating yourself up, Kiri. All of us know that you'll be leaving, sooner or later… and that if anyone has the power to defeat Azrael Astaroth and his ilk, you do."

"He's right," Reiko agreed. "And besides, that's plenty enough talk about depressing stuff."

Kiri rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "Fine, fine. Just one more question first—how is Noa doing, and your mom?"

Cort sighed. "We're all pretty much still shell-shocked. But now that we're down here, we can actually take the time to deal with the things we've been through at our own pace."

"That's true. And thank Tieg for small blessings, these caverns are big enough that I don't have to hold this stupid human form all the time." Kiri heard the smile in Reiko's voice. "And the Ra-Seru don't have to waste their energy on protecting the place. The elevator is the only way in or out, and no one's using that without the password. We're safe for now, so that we can rebuild our strength. And the same goes for you guys, until you have to leave. So relax, and stop being depressing."

Kiri grimaced. "Yeah, yeah. I consider myself duly lectured."

There was a knock at the doors, and then a creak as someone pushed them open. "I do hope I'm not interrupting anything private," came Fabula's amused voice, followed by the sound of her footsteps. "Oh—no kegs. I guess I'm not."

"Funny," Kiri said flatly. "There anything specific you want other than to be annoying?"

"Actually, yes." Fabula walked past Kiri's pew to the altar. "I believe this is where I left it… but then again, it has been quite a while."

"Left what?" Kiri asked, sitting up and watching with interest as she walked up behind the pulpit to the low troughs of small white stones behind it.

Ignoring him, Fabula slipped her hand down the crack between the wall and the smooth metal of the curious furnishings, and came up with something wrapped in moth-eaten cloth. "I thought so…"

"What is that?" Reiko asked, curious.

"Something I never thought I'd have to use again," Fabula said grimly. "If I could've, I would've buried my heart here along with it… and it alone was too much of a symbol of something I could no longer have. I left it here, and haven't touched it in centuries."

She pulled the cloth away, revealing the startlingly beautiful blue crystal of the chakram beneath it. Unlike the wood and iron weapons she usually fought with, it had an elegant design of circles within circles, and looked almost too fragile to be used in combat. However, the three blades opposite the spot Fabula gripped marked its delicate outlook to be poisonously deceptive—Kiri had absolutely no doubt that this chakram had tasted blood many times before.

"It's called 'Shirube', and it's part of a two-piece set," Fabula explained with a distant look in her eyes. "I lost the other half long ago—it was broken beyond repair some eleven years before I became a Guide. And it's as powerful as it is ancient. I never thought I would have to use it again, but if we're going to go up against the powers wielded by Azrael Astaroth, I'm going to need it."

Dropping the cloth that had hidden her weapon, Fabula removed the bright circle of the chakram she called Angel Feathers from where it had been hidden behind the curtain of her silver hair. She closed her eyes, crossed her wrists before her, and whipped both weapons into the air, bowing low to catch them and holding them in a ready position.

Kiri could have sworn that as she opened her eyes, there was a brief glow haloed about her face.

She sat down in the pew before Kiri's, draping her arm over the wooden back as she watched him, wearing a slight smile. "So, I hope you haven't been worrying _too _much about Clear?"

Kiri groaned; Cort and Reiko both laughed. "Why can't a man keep his thoughts to _himself _in your company?" he demanded. "Stop picking on me…"

Fabula shook her head. "Lisa sent me down here—she decided that you'd actually be better off sleeping for now, and if you can't get that way on your own, I'll just have to knock you out again."

As the others looked on, Kiri gave an exaggerated sigh and headslumped. "No, I think I'll try on my own, thanks. I don't depend on other people _that _much."

He got up and walked slowly down the aisle of the chapel, pushed the heavy doors opened, and walked away as his friends watched him go.

"He'll be alright," Cort said with a smile. "As long as someone needs him, he'll always be able to find the strength to keep going, no matter whether or not it'll cost him in the long run."

Fabula nodded. "He's a good boy. And so long as we're here to catch him when he falls, I think he can keep going for as long as he needs to."

---

Every time he slept in those few days of rest, Kiri's dreams were filled with images of Kumo. He woke with a smile still curling his lips and tears on his cheeks more times than he could count, and always, _always _the same burning ache in his heart. He wouldn't be able to bear much longer without being able to see the one he loved the most.

Perhaps sensing Kiri's restlessness, whenever she wasn't ordering him to take a seat or a nap, Lisa laid several major healings into Kiri's ankle in quick succession, saying that this way he would be up and walking around normally by the end of the week. And with her help, Kiri began to actually _notice _the lack of pain, and it amazed him.

"Are all healers capable of stuff like this down here?" he asked her once, amazed. "There's only one guy I've known in Mystaria who might be able to."

Lisa blushed and laughed a little. "Um… most healers tend not to spill out all their powers on one patient, or at one time, like nonmagical doctors can't afford to give all their attention to just one person. I just have no one else to focus on but you."

Kiri shook his head. "Don't be so modest. I may know next to nothing about healing, but you have serious talent—even I can tell."

Lisa just laughed, waved him off, and fled the room, leaving him to marvel at how flustered she got about it. She should be rightly proud of the powers she had.

But nevertheless, as Lisa had promised, Kiri was soon able to resume the full use of his ankle—just in time for the council called by the rest of his party.

---

The mayor of Octam had kindly supplied the attic of his large house for the meeting, saying it was the least he could do for the ones largely responsible for the safe arrival of the peoples of Conkram, then closed the double doors against prying eyes and listening ears.

Kiri sat at the head of the long table, leaning forward with his elbows firmly on the polished wood and his face in his hands as he considered everyone else.

Kaze, who had been dead on his feet when they'd all arrived in Octam, actually looked considerably better, if a bit pale. Both he and Aura had taken full advantage of the facilities in the underground city to give their few changes of clothes a badly needed washing, though neither of them had bought any more. Kiri suspected that it was due to the distinct lack of black and leather in Octam's stores, but knew he'd just get short shrift from Aura if he said so, and kept the thought to himself. He sat between his sister and Lisa, and despite the vicious case of coupleitis he'd been hit with recently, his even gaze remained on Kiri instead of straying to the object of his affection.

Lisa, for her part, had surreptitiously nudged her chair closer to Kaze's, and she'd laid her hand on top of his as she watched Kiri, waiting for him to speak. Despite their efforts to not fall all over each other in public, Kiri had to keep himself from smirking. If Kumo had been there with him, Kiri wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation to pester his brother to sing one of the many soppy love ballads the two of them had picked up over the years.

_Ah, young love, _he thought to himself, and glanced at Aura. There was _no way _she hadn't picked up on the couple vibes by now, but interestingly enough, Lisa hadn't been violently murdered yet. Aura, too, was waiting for Kiri to say or do something with a bored expression on her face.

Fabula and Ai were on the other side of the table; Fabula waiting patiently, Ai focused inwards with an unusually grim look on her face. But then, the girl _had _been standing right there when the duke had been killed, so she still had that as well as what had happened to Clear on her plate.

"We need to decide what we're going to do next," Kiri said softly.

"Isn't it obvious?" Aura replied. "We go find that bastard summoner and his little bitch, and kick their asses. Seems simple enough to me."

Kiri sighed. "This place is safe—secure, with no way the Heartless can get in on their own. And the mole's already been taken out. So if anybody wants out, now's the time to say so."

"I'm not staying behind," Ai said mulishly. "Besides—you need me."

"What do you mean?" Lisa asked, sounding surprised.

Ai pointed to herself. "If it's true that Azrael and Kara want my heart, they'll keep coming after me no matter where I am. And if I'm traveling with the rest of you, that means they'll keep attacking you. I'm the bait you need to draw them out for a fight."

"No one wants to put you in that position unless you're absolutely sure," Kiri told her. "It's… not going to be easy."

"I know that," Ai replied. "But I've seen what the Heartless are doing to this country. And it has to stop. For Lou, and for Clear and Yu and Noa and everybody else who's had to suffer. I can't just sit and wait for things to change on their own, not anymore. I want to help."

Kiri just shook his head and smiled. "You're really growing up." And he turned to Kaze and Lisa. "What about you two? I don't want either of you hurt any more than I want Ai to be, and you've got more to risk than the rest of us do."

Lisa smiled back at him. "You're going to need me when we find your brother and the children," she reminded him. "I'm not going to back out, either."

Kaze nodded. "And I… want to help you find him. I always have. I can't… pull out like this."

Kiri ducked his head. "Ah… thanks." And he turned to Fabula. "I don't think I need to ask, but…"

"I'm in this until the end," was her reply. "Until we find Kumo and restore his heart, or until mine stops beating. I could never desert you."

"But, Kiri…" Ai said suddenly. "Chobi. I want to leave him here. Yu was his only connection to this, and I don't need him anymore. Vahn and Noa can take care of him until Yu comes back for him… and I think he'll be able to help Noa with everything that's happened to her."

Kiri nodded. "Okay… that sounds reasonable."

"If we want to get Azrael's attention, we should probably start heading north," Fabula pointed out. "Clear said that they'd taken over the capital city, and I think that that's probably where their base is. Besides, if we head there we might be able to find out if anyone else has escaped. Since we've already been along the eastern road, let's take the western one—it'll swing us past a few towns where we can rest if we need to, and there's nowhere safe to stay but Octam on this side of the country now."

"Sounds good to me," Aura agreed. "The sooner I get to put a bullet in that bitch's head, the better."

"Yeah…" Kiri laid his fist to his heart. "So tomorrow, we'll say our goodbyes and head off. Because I just have this feeling… this strange feeling that time is running out…"

---

"Hey, Kaze-niisan…"

Kaze looked up from adjusting the rows of bullets at his belt. Aura was sitting on the bed across from his, one leg crossed before her, with her hands folded at her ankle and an unusually speculative look in her eyes. "…What is it?"

Aura pulled a face. "I don't know how to ask this question tactfully, so just keep in mind that I don't really want to offend you by this." She sighed, brushed her bangs out of her eyes, and fixed Kaze with an intense stare. "Are you in love with Pacifist?"

Kaze jerked in surprise, and stared shocked at his sister as he felt his face starting to heat up. _"What?"_

Aura just gave him a _look. _"Kaze-niisan, I've lived with you for eighteen years, and aside from our parents there's no one who knows you better than I do. You're like a goddamn open book to me, even if it _is _kinda hard sometimes to understand the way your head works. _Think _for a second. Considering that I was the one who nailed you with the third degree the night you came home after getting laid for the first time, did you think that there was _any _possible way that I wouldn't notice?"

"……" Kaze continued to stare mutely, too embarrassed to say anything in his defense.

"So while I freely admit that I would've liked you to decide on somebody a little less wishy-washy and a _hell _of a lot less annoying, your life is your own, and you two can hit the sheets as many times as you like so long as it doesn't fuck with what we're trying to accomplish out here." Holding up a hand to stifle the strangled sound of protest from her brother, Aura continued to give him that look. "It's just that despite the number of times I've seen you madly in lust with some girl, this is the first time I've seen those little stars in your eyes. So. I ask again: Are you in love with her?"

"I—" Kaze just shook his head. "I… don't know. She—cares about me," he said helplessly. "Would continue to care for me. Despite what I am… and what's happening to me. It's… a strange feeling."

Aura made a face. "She's got you tied up in knots," she informed him. "And you're goddamned _terrified _of that, if I've ever known you at all." And she shook her head. "Father Nallorn… you _are _in love with her. You're just too tongue-tied to admit it right now."

Kaze felt like she'd just punched him in the stomach. "I…"

Aura just sighed. "You're a hopeless idiot, but I still love you. Don't ask me why." She got up, stalked over to him, and shook a finger at his nose. "Well, I've got news for you, Kaze-niisan—that girl is _beyond _hopelessly in love with you, too. So I've got another question: Is she The One?"

Kaze blanched. "I… I don't…"

"Because whether you've considered it or not, Pacifist strikes me as the chapel-bells-and-babies kind of girl," Aura continued. "And if she gets it into her head that she's going to marry you, I highly doubt that you're going to escape unscathed."

Kaze just shook his head numbly. This was just too much. It was making his head hurt.

Aura sighed exaggeratedly, shaking her head. "Okay, if that concept's too scary for you now, then here's an easier question. Can you picture your life ten years from now without her?"

Kaze tried. And the image he conjured was enough to stop his heart for a few seconds. "I… can't."

"Thought so." To his surprise, Aura ruffled his hair. "In that case, I'd just like you to know… if you screw this up and break her heart, I'm going to castrate you, without anesthetics. And then I'll force-feed you the results. Understand?"

Kaze flopped back on the bed. "No more," he begged. _"Please. _My brain hurts."

Aura bit back a laugh. "…I really envy you, Kaze-niichan." Leaning down, she kissed his forehead, then headed back to her own bed and sat back down on it with a squeak of mattress springs.

Kaze just stared at the ceiling, bewildered and now rather sure that he wouldn't get much sleep tonight, no matter how tired he was.

"In love"… hell, more than that, he'd just realized that he was in over his head.

…_Way _over his head.

---

Noa sat silently and stroked the chocobo's crest feathers as she sat and stared at the wide metal column that was the elevator to the surface.

Kiri and his companions had gone just a few hours ago, leaving an unbearable loneliness in their wake. And although they had left with promises, her heart still held no hope that she would ever see any of them again.

It was a dangerous world out there, after all.

The doors to the building creaked open, and Reiko walked in. The tall Seru was still limping a bit, but he'd shed most of his bandages, and raw pink scars were all that remained of the injuries that had lain beneath them. He'd spent what amounted to a few days curled up in a corner of the caverns, sleeping in his true form—a tightly coiled yet still enormous black mass that shifted and resettled every few hours, with yawns and whines like those of any restless cat, though they showed off the deadly silver teeth that were as long as a man was tall. And Noa would be willing to bet that it would be several weeks more before Reiko finally got over the novelty of sleeping in his real shape and went back to Cort's bed, if she were in the mood.

Reiko headed towards her and laboriously sat down next to her with a sigh.

"Miss them already?"

Noa flopped bonelessly against the chocobo's feathered side, refusing to speak.

"It's okay, you know." Reiko turned to look towards the elevator and smiled. "Tieg is watching over them. And… don't you just get that feeling when they're around, that maybe _these _are the ones who can finally blow away the despair that's fallen over this world ever since the first Heartless appeared in Windaria eighteen years ago?"

"I want to believe," Noa finally replied. "But something in my heart just feels so lost…"

"That's alright." Reiko reached over and laid a hand on her head, giving her hair a light ruffle. "Because no matter how you feel about what's happened these past days… you're a good kid. Or else Terra wouldn't have chosen you, and Ai wouldn't have left Chobi here with you."

"Kweh," the chocobo added with enough spunk to make Noa smile.

"It's a lot to ask of them…"

Reiko shook his head. "On the contrary… I think it's exactly what they want. This world… needs heroes to have faith in right now."

---

Kiri heaved an exasperated sigh and rolled over, trying to find a more comfortable position in his bedroll. He'd been walking all day, and he was exhausted—but for whatever reason, he just couldn't manage to get to sleep. And it looked as though it was going to be an _excruciatingly _long night.

"Is something wrong?"

Hearing Fabula's voice, Kiri gave up and pushed himself into a sitting position. "…I just don't think I'm going to be getting any sleep tonight."

From the other side of the fire, she smiled at him. Both he and Kaze had been banned from taking the night watch, and Fabula had volunteered for the first shift in their place. "Worried?"

"I don't know…" Kiri shook his head. "It's… that feeling again. I'm tired, but I still want to get moving _now. _I don't want to wait any longer… if I do, I think I'm going to go insane." Seeing that Fabula was covering a smile, he scowled at her. "And just _what _is so funny about what I said?"

She waved a hand at him dismissively. "It's not that—you've just been tossing and turning so much that you've got the _cutest _case of bedhead." And continuing to smile as Kiri blushed, she patted the ground beside her. "Why don't you come sit down over here? I can brush your hair out while you tell me more about what's bothering you."

Kiri sighed, but picked his way through his sleeping companions to the bare ground beside her and sat. "I guess so."

Fabula fished a brush with thick black bristles and a worn but polished wooden handle out of her things and fingered a few strands of Kiri's hair. "You haven't been taking the time to care for your hair properly," she scolded gently. "And you should. It's such a lovely color, and so fine. You'd look splendid if you didn't have all these split ends."

"Give me a break," Kiri complained, fidgeting. "Most of the time we're barely able to afford a ten-minute dunking in the ice water of whatever stream we find, and blocks of soapwort are the closest thing to decent shampoo I've seen in a _long _time."

Fabula just shook her head at him. "That's no excuse. You're so hard on your hair, it's practically criminal." She gently lifted his hair away from his back and began to gently pull the brush down its length. "I'll be as careful as I can. Now, go on."

Kiri sighed and closed his eyes, soothed by the brush's motion. He hadn't let anyone else do his hair for him since his mother had insisted on arranging every detail of his appearance for his coming-of-age ceremony, and though that had badly offended his manly pride, it was oddly comforting to be fussed over every now and then.

"It's just… it's Kumo. I don't… know how much longer I can last without seeing him," Kiri began. "For a while, I felt as though the pain wasn't so bad, since I was doing something, but it's worse now than it's ever been before. I dream about him every night. And I can't stop wondering why those people wanted his body as well as his heart. I've thought about it, and… I don't like any of the answers my head comes up with."

"Kiri, we're getting closer," Fabula murmured to him, taking a break from the steady strokes of the brush to caress his shoulder. "So don't give up hope."

"We're not close enough," was his reply. "And I just can't help it… because that bad feeling I have just keeps getting stronger."

Fabula set the hairbrush down and pulled Kiri back towards her. "You and Kumo have always had a strong bond, so if there is any danger to him wherever he is, that might be causing your worries. Either that, or as you get closer to him, your sense of the bond between you is strengthening. You're fighting for him, and he _has _been reaching out to you. We'll find him soon, and the children."

Kiri sighed, staring up into the star-studded field of the night sky. "I hope you're right."

"You know, worrying too much is bad for your hair, too," Fabula told him with a smile. "Shall I help you off to sleep, then?"

"I don't want to get spelled under."

"That's not what I was talking about. I seem to recall that there were times that you sang Kumo to sleep, and vice versa, correct?"

Kiri blinked up at her. "Uh… yeah. But…"

"Don't worry about it," she assured him. "I won't wake anyone, and while my voice may not be as pure as Kumo's, I don't doubt that it'll be able to soothe you."

Kiri just shook his head a little. "If you say so." And despite his restlessness, he closed his eyes.

As a Mystarian summoner, Kiri knew very well that music was a magic of its own, but that didn't stop him from being shocked at the _strength _of the voice behind the ancient lullaby it sang. No, Fabula most certainly did _not _have the type of pure and lovely singing voice that brought an audience to tears due to its beauty, as Kumo did; she had the kind of voice that knocked the audience on its collective ass and left it awestruck and gaping long after she was done. Even fidgety as Kiri was, that voice left him quiescent and breathless.

And yet more amazing, it was actually lulling him, when his wont was to listen to any type of fascinating music.

It wasn't a spell—it was just a cleverly sung tune whose entire intent was to induce sleep in a listener.

_Sneaky, _Kiri marveled. And was pulled pleasantly under the surface of deep, healing sleep within a matter of heartbeats.

---

Grumbling out protests at having been awakened to take the watch, Aura caught sight of Kiri lying sprawled over Fabula's lap and stared. "What in the—?"

Fabula, smiling so mischievously that for the first time Aura caught the hint of a slight dimple at her cheek, held up a finger to her lips even as she stroked Kiri's long hair with her other hand. "Shhh. You'll wake the baby."

Noting the similarity of this scene to another, Aura just shook her head and turned towards the darkness outside. _Huh. Somebody else who can lay Madoushi out flat without his wearing himself out summoning first. …_Now _I've seen everything._

---

Lisa was the first one to pick up on it, and Aura minutes after her. Kiri watched the both of them go tense, and knew what Lisa would announce before she said it.

"There are Heartless coming towards us from the path ahead, and from the west. There seem to be a lot of them, and I don't doubt that if we stay here, they'll try to get around to the east side of the trail in an attempt to surround us," she said, closing her eyes in concentration. "Also, there's something else strange about this… but I can't quite get a read on it."

"It's that bitch," Aura snapped, her lips curling back in a snarl. "This is the same feeling I got when we stopped at the waystation."

"Well, _this _is interesting," Fabula remarked. "We're ready to go out of our way to attract her attention by heading north, and she comes straight out to us. Either they're more worried about us than we thought, or she's up to something."

"We can't back out, not now," Ai protested. "They'll overtake us if we try to run. And we have to get her back for Yu!"

"We won't back out," Kiri agreed, and pointed straight down the road. "We keep going as if we don't know that she's here. And when we see her, we charge. But just keep one thing in mind—if it comes down to a physical battle, she is _mine."_

"Give me one good reason that I shouldn't put a bullet in her head the second I see her," Aura retorted, glaring.

"Because if you try, she'll just have some Heartless take it for her," Kiri replied, and shook his head. "Besides… she attacked _my student _while she kept me out of the fight with her own underhanded means. And she's going to learn that she was damn lucky that she decided to do that then, because _I am going to kill her _now."

"I hope this works…" Lisa said doubtfully.

"Well, if worse comes to worst, Kaze and I can just summon while you cover us and punch through the Heartless to get away," he reasoned. "But we'd better get moving while we can still make that charge and take her off-guard."

And so, they went, in silence now. Aura loaded bullets into her revolvers with a sharp scowl on her face; Kaze let his hand rest on the holster of his shotgun, his face a mask of unconcern. Lisa gripped her staff tightly; Ai played with the fletchings of her arrows with one hand and held her longbow with the other. Fabula did not take out her weapons, but Kiri knew that she would have her chakrams out from the loose loop on the back of her dress in seconds if she needed them. And he himself did not move for his Maken either. He could control it with his mind easily enough.

The black line of Heartless on the horizon drew closer.

Temper twitched in Kiri's chest as he saw the succubus riding on the shoulders of an Invisible at the head of their line; he stepped up his pace, his fingers itching for his Maken's hilt. There was blood pounding in his ears, and hate writhing in his throat.

It was time to finish this.

"Kara!" The shout just tore from his chest, a furious bellow saturated with challenge. "Come and face me, if you dare. We've seen your tricks—let's see if there's any valor in you. You, and me. An honest fight to the finish, with _no interference _from either side!"

She called back to him, her voice rich with amusement. "An honest fight? You insult me. Very well—just the two of us, if you think you can handle it alone."

Kiri spat in the dirt of the road as the two sides approached each other.

As they faced off—he with his sword, she with her whip—the Heartless fanned out in a semicircle behind her, and Kiri's companions stopped at an equal distance behind him.

"If anything happens to him out there, I'll shoot her before she has the chance to finish anything," Aura growled, just loud enough for the rest of their small circle to hear. "She's not going to play nice, no matter what she says. We can't trust her. Kaze-niisan, Ai, back me."

"I'll kill you for what you've done to my friends," Kiri growled as he and Kara began to circle.

She just quirked an eyebrow and smirked at him. "When I'm done with you, you'll wish I'd made it so simple as death," she told him with a laugh.

Kiri saw the tense of her muscles and was already leaping out of the way as she began to slash that whip through the air, ducking beneath its length to slash at her, but only grazing her hip with the tip of his blade as she danced out of his way.

_She's fast—_

But Kiri didn't have the time to think anything else as he felt the bite of the whip across his shoulders and let out a cry of surprise. It couldn't be—but she was fast enough, good enough with her weapon to be able to change its direction with one sharp yank even before it had recovered.

Cursing, Kiri rushed her again, and skipped when he heard the whistle of leather. Twisting his body out of the way, he hacked at her weapon with his Maken with a triumphant cry.

But triumph turned to puzzlement, then outrage as he felt his blade bite through leather and clink off of the metal that lay beneath.

_She's got a goddamn chain under that thing! _Kiri was so furious with himself for not guessing that he was late in his backward leap, letting the whip's barbed tip slice along his cheek.

He'd be damned if she wasn't _laughing _at him, too. Growling, Kiri lunged for the whip again, slashing against it so viciously that its length wrapped around the blade of the Maken. And as Kiri gave it a good hard yank, the smile dropped from Kara's face as the whip flew out of her grip.

Kiri barked out a laugh. "There—you see what good it'll do—"

And he staggered, and gasped, as his vision went blue, then white.

_"Stupid _boy," Kara scolded, laughing, and Kiri felt the hard fist slam into the nape of his neck just before the drugs took hold of his sleepless system and pulled him viciously out of consciousness.

As darkness erupted beneath Kara's feet, Aura yelled and aimed her guns, then cursed. "They're too close together! None of us are going to have a damn clear shot!"

The Heartless swarmed and pooled; thunder pealed in the overcast but rainless sky. And the plains were empty, but for where Kiri's Maken lay on the path with the succubus' whip still coiled around it.

Fabula cursed. "We have to find them," she hissed, "but where would she take him…?"

"Is she going to—take his heart?" Ai asked hesitantly, ashen.

But Fabula shook her head. "If she'd wanted to do that, she would've done it in front of us. She likely has something worse in mind—which means we have to get to Kiri, fast."

"Guys…" Aura said slowly, and pointed to a dark silhouette on the horizon. "That might be a place we can start."

---

_Where…?_

Kiri groaned, shuddered, and struggled to open his eyes. They still felt so heavy, and sealed by sleep… and his body felt weighted down somehow. He couldn't twist his hips or move his legs, and he felt… not _numb, _but almost woozy from the waist down.

His arms were stretched up behind him, against something uncomfortable. He tugged at them, but something sticky and unbearably tight held them there no matter how he struggled. And the more he pulled, the more he realized that they were starting to hurt.

With a sigh, Kiri decided that whatever bound him could wait until he knew what was going on, and opened his eyes at last, waiting for his vision to clear.

He was in… some kind of a bedroom, or something. And it seemed vaguely familiar, but Kiri couldn't remember ever having been here. He was lying on the bed's mattress, and though he tried to turn his head to look, he couldn't see exactly what bound his wrists to the headboard. Rope, perhaps, although what kind of rope was that sticky? It made no sense.

It was _hot _in here. There was a fireplace at the side of the room, and it was roaring. It had apparently been going for a while; the smell of flame and smoke permeated everything, and Kiri could feel a light coat of sweat against his skin, making the skin of his back stick to the mattress.

_Skin?_

Kiri frowned a little as it sank in that he was naked.

The fire didn't give off much light; though Kiri saw gas lamps attached to the walls and half-melted candles in stands on drawers and tables, none of them were lit. There was a long mirror on one wall; its glass face was slightly clouded from the heat.

There was a chair in the corner of the room, near the treated oaken door. And there was a woman in the chair.

Wakefulness spiked through Kiri's chest like a jolt of electricity to the heart as he squinted and realized that it was Kara.

"I've been waiting for those drugs to wear off," she said as she noticed his gaze, and stood up, a silhouette against the flames. "It's not always good to mix one with another."

There was a needle in her left hand. Kiri tried to edge away, but still couldn't move.

"What did you… do to me…?"

"I knocked you out. I took you somewhere more convenient, more comfortable. Wouldn't you like to be comfortable?"

Kiri watched her warily. She came to the side of the bed and put a hand on his belly, dangerously close to his groin. "This is going to hurt. But it's not like I care." And she plunged the needle into his hip.

Fire swirled through Kiri's veins as she pushed the plunger down and emptied the contents of the syringe into his body; against his will he bowed up, his hands fisting as he tried to choke back a gasp. His skin burned, ached, and there was an uncomfortable crawling sensation through his hips as the muscles in his legs tensed, his belly clutching and tautening, and…

Kiri felt heat flush through his cheeks and refused to look, embarrassed. Whatever involuntary muscle spasm that drug had caused, it was affecting other things, too.

"Shy, are we?" Kara laughed at him. "Now, what have we to be shy about? For all your faults, you're a lot… _manlier _than many I've known." She turned; as the light struck her profile, Kiri noticed for the first time that _she _wasn't wearing anything either. And… Kiri averted his gaze again as he noticed quite by accident that her nipples looked to be as hard as _he _was.

Evil she may have been, whore she may have been, his _enemy _she may have been, but she deserved more than his staring at her. (Even if she was the first woman he had ever seen, and likely would ever see, naked.) Besides, it wasn't as if he got off on that kind of thing. A woman's breasts meant about as much as her elbows to him—except that he respected her privacy and knew better than to act like that.

Kara just laughed at him. "There's power in you, for all that you're a sickeningly chivalrous naïf. And I _want _it." She knelt on the mattress next to him, posturing pointedly. "And what I want, I _get._

"You know what, Mystarian boy? I really _hate _virgins…"

And with that, Kara swept in one dark and fluid movement to straddle him, and as sick horror and disbelief hit Kiri hard, she slid down and closed over him.

_No. _Bile rose in Kiri's throat along with panic, and he tugged fruitlessly at his bonds, still unable to move most of his body. _This can't be._

"You aren't going anywhere," Kara said, amused. And began to viciously rock her hips.

Kiri continued to struggle, despite the way he felt all the strength begin to drain out of him. If he could get his hands loose, he could push her away—or at least do _something—_

But weakness crept into his muscles, and soon he had the strength to do no more than lie still and keep his eyes closed as he felt the tears burn against them. Revulsion clawed at his insides, and part of his mind continued to balk almost hysterically at the reality of what was happening, though his heart was hammering and his breath came in jagged, sobbing gasps. Kara rode him viciously, trapping his hips between her thighs so that even if he _had _been able to move, he would still have been unable to prize himself away from her.

It felt _wrong. _Still stunned and feeling panic pressing at his throat, Kiri felt the tears begin to slide across his cheeks, the only protest he could still make. It was wrong. He—his body, his heart, his mind—was not made for this; he'd been born with no inclination or capability of willingly putting himself inside a woman, because it was _wrong, _because this shouldn't be happening, because it was mechanical and impersonal and she clamped over him like a vise, almost _hurting _him. There wasn't even any pleasure in it, though he would just have hated himself more if there was—it was almost worse, because it was cold, greed without desire. Baser than masturbation without need—it was _torture, _and Kiri couldn't keep taking it—_God, _for it to just _end—_

Something imploded inside of him; as Kara let out an enthralled moan that made that sick prickle wind over Kiri's skin, he came in a flood, with relief washing through his body.

And after the relief, the thought that there was nothing to be relieved _about—_and guilt withered Kiri's heart, sending more silent tears cascading over his cheeks.

Kara got up on her knees, finally letting Kiri slide out of her with a wet sound that brought the clutch of nausea back to his belly with a vengeance. The bedsprings creaked; Kiri risked a glance out of eyes that still burned with tears to see that she was standing there with a self-satisfied expression on her face and—God—a white trickle of semen down her thigh.

"Maybe you should think again before you insult me like that," she said with soft, dark humor. And stepped back, a sneer curling her painted lips.

"And maybe _you _should be smart enough to teleport further away than the nearest deserted mansion, you sick _bitch."_

Kara jerked in surprise, her eyes going wide. And the crack of a gunshot rang through the room as her blood splattered across Kiri's body.

The corpse dropped to the floor, revealing Aura standing in the doorway with her gun still smoking and cold hatred on her face.

---

After the little thrill of victory passed, Aura caught sight of Kiri and felt the impact of shock through her chest.

"Oh, _God…"_

She crossed the room in three strides, kicking Kara's body unceremoniously to the side, and sat next to him. He was sweaty, and sobbing, and through the scent of the fire and its smoke was the smell of sex.

Aura bit her lip and carefully held Kiri's gaze; his eyes were horribly blank and tired, and dark with self-hatred. He'd already retreated deep into himself, she saw, and hoped that he'd been there for a long time.

She turned back to his bonds, and bit back a curse as she saw the shiny black bands wound over and over again around his wrists. "Electrical tape…" Shaking her head, she pulled a tooling knife from her belt. "I'm sorry about this—it's going to hurt like hell, but there's no other way…" And she cut through the heavy layers of tape, then yanked it off Kiri's wrist in one vicious motion.

He didn't even cry out. Worry wormed through Aura's chest; she tamped it down, and did Kiri's other wrist as quickly as she could. The skin beneath the tape was red and irritated, twisted and tender and dotted with blood. It had to be very painful—and yet, Kiri was likely beyond noticing that.

"Hey… can you sit up?" she asked him gently.

She saw the shift of muscles beneath his skin, but nothing happened. He didn't have the strength left.

"…Oh, Kiri…" Her eyes dark with regret, she gently pulled him into a sitting position, holding him close to her and stroking his sweat-dampened hair. "It's okay now. We're going to get you out of here now."

Footsteps hammered towards the room; Aura looked up, alarmed, but it was only Fabula.

As she watched the other woman's eyes go wide with horror and pity, Aura grimaced. "Please… keep everybody else out of this room until he's ready."

Fabula hesitated, but nodded. "…Alright. Take care of him, Aura…"

"I will." And as Fabula closed the door gently, she turned back towards him. "Okay… let's get you cleaned up, and dressed. And then we'll get you out of here, I promise."

She felt Kiri's tears through the fabric of her dress, but he didn't answer.

(TBC)


	27. Substance Abuse

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

When Aura emerged from the room Fabula had refused to let anyone enter, she led Kiri along with her, supporting him with an arm around his waist and his over her shoulders. Upon seeing him, Ai's first reaction was relief—but as Aura drew closer, it evaporated as soon as she noticed the horrible defeated look in his eyes. His gaze was empty somehow, as though his body no longer held a soul.

"What happened in there…?" she ventured, unable to stop her voice from trembling.

"Listen, kid…" Aura shook her head. "Like Fabula told you, there are worse things in this world than death. And Kiri's just been put through one of those things. I hate to say this, but we can't continue north now. Not with him like this. He won't be able to stand travel for too long."

"Then we should go back south to Lukahn," Fabula said. "That's closest to here, and we'll be able to let him rest then."

"But, if he's in such bad shape, why don't we at least stay here tonight?" Ai asked, confused. "It doesn't make sense."

Something flickered briefly in Kiri's eyes, but it was gone before Ai could tell what it was.

Aura just shook her head, wearing a look of bitter sorrow. _"No. _We have to get out of here, for Kiri's sake. What he's just been through could break him completely if we don't leave. And I'll explain it to you once we make camp—when he's asleep. Just trust me that we have to go."

Ai still didn't understand—but both Aura's sudden protective attitude towards Kiri and Kiri's own helpless state told her that she would do better not to argue.

---

That night, as their party sat in a ring around their fire with Kiri lying bundled into his bedroll between Aura and Fabula, the two women finally decided to enlighten their companions with the details of their situation.

"That Kara bitch didn't want Kiri's heart when she took him—it seems like she just wanted to hurt him, and I don't think she could've done better if she'd tried. That _creature—_I refuse to dignify her with the term 'woman'—stripped him, drugged him, _taped _him to a bed, for God's sake, and raped him."

As shock crossed the faces of their audience, Fabula shook her head. "And because Kara was a succubus, when she did so, it drained most of Kiri's power, and he'll need to rest for a long time before he can physically recuperate. Mentally… that's an entirely different matter. Sexual intercourse is sacred in Mystarian culture, a holy act between two people who love each other that isn't to be sullied in any way. It's also an unspoken law that those who've already experienced sex are not to marry virgins—and remember, Kiri is engaged to Kumo, who's still _very _much virginal. In addition to that, Kiri fosters no attraction to the female sex whatsoever, so having been sexually assaulted by a woman was likely a highly traumatic, abhorrent experience. He's been violated on so many levels that this is threatening his very sanity, and only time or a skilled mind-healer can see him into recovery."

"But—how could _she _even do something like that _anyway?" _Ai protested, looking both disgusted and confused. "She couldn't… you know…"

Aura grimaced and shook her head. "There are drugs that can induce an erection in a man's body whether he's actually experiencing arousal or not. And judging by that bitch's skill with coating her whip in those poisons, I'd say she probably used something like that on him."

"This is going to sound heartless, I know… but if it's going to take that long for Kiri to recover, could we leave him in Lukahn for as long as it takes?" Lisa ventured. "If we wait for him, Azrael Astaroth could move his forces, or even recruit other allies like Kara and Koryu Gaddys. We don't have the luxury of just sitting around until then."

"That's a risk we're going to have to take," Fabula told her. "If we went on to defeat Azrael and save Kumo without Kiri, he would never forgive us. And in his eyes, he would probably have lost his only chance at 'redemption' for failing himself like this. He has to be the one to rescue his beloved… that's just the way it is. To him, we're still just helping him along the way."

There was a long silence as each of them watched Kiri where he lay sleeping, sad and broken and seeming almost frail.

"What can we do?" Kaze asked at length.

"On the way back—and once we're in Lukahn—Kiri is _never _to be left alone," Fabula instructed. "For his own safety, we can't trust him by himself right now. And if there is _ever _a time when he has to go unattended, we _must _make sure that all weaponry is removed from whatever place he's left in. Kiri's dealt with depression before, and has shown some suicidal tendencies at those times, so with something this much more severe, we have to assume that he's capable of taking his own life now. While it's true that it's impossible to stop any person from harming him- or herself if they really want to, the damage one can do to one's body with just teeth or nails is relatively minimal. Besides, self-injury is easier to deal with than a full-fledged suicide attempt."

"You really think that Kiri could…?" Ai asked, wide-eyed.

"God as my witness, I hope with all my soul that he won't," was Fabula's reply. "But the state he's in… I just don't know."

"Either way, we have to take care of him now," Aura told them. "He can't get through this without support. And no one should ever have to go through something like this, anyway."

"Also…" Fabula reached around to her things. "I don't want Kiri to know this—he likely wouldn't be able to take it in his current state. But… when Aura and I were searching the highest floor of that mansion, I found _this."_

She lifted something out of her bag, and held it out for the others to see.

It was a folded stack of clothing—a blouse, cape, and leggings similar to those that Kiri wore. However, the blouse's collar was slit at the center, a softer and rounder boatneck design than the sharp V of Kiri's collar. And instead of red, these clothes were pure white.

"These are Kumo's," Fabula said softly. "I found them in one of the other mansion bedrooms. Exactly what this means for him, I'm not sure… but I don't like it. I'm worried about him."

"You think they've done something to him, don't you…" Lisa ventured, shivering a little. Kaze put his arm around her and drew her close protectively.

"I don't know," Fabula repeated. "But after everything that we've seen these people are capable of, I'm afraid for him. We have to hope that Kiri recovers quickly, so that we can get Kumo away from them."

They passed the rest of the night in uneasy silence.

---

Two familiar-looking soldiers were sitting watch when their party approached the outer precincts of Lukahn. And upon seeing the road-weary travelers, both of them stood up and waved. Ai squinted, then recognized them—the rather effusive inventor named Cid and the tomboyish second-in-command of the Comodeen's army, Miles.

Next to her, Lisa let out a relieved-sounding sigh. "Friendly faces at last…"

_"Sing _it, kid," Aura drawled, causing a few upraised eyebrows (Lisa was, after all, four years her senior). Though her exact reasons for doing so were still unknown, she'd exerted unspoken claim on taking care of Kiri during their trek back to Lukahn, and she still held him supportively at her side.

Kiri himself continued to lean heavily on Aura, his eyes blank and sightless as ever. It was worrisome, and more than a little frightening. Ai hadn't wanted to believe that Kiri didn't have the strength to snap out of this over a few days, as he always had whenever he'd been shoved into shock or depression.

But he was every bit as unresponsive as he'd been the moment that Aura had finally pulled him out of the room where Kara had supposedly done those awful things to him.

As their group drew closer, both Cid and Miles seemed to notice Kiri's condition, and they left the town borders to see what was going on.

Once they were within a few feet of the travelers, both of them stopped short, and paled.

"My God—what in the hell is _wrong _with Kiri?" Miles demanded. "He looks half-dead!"

Aura shook her head. "We'll explain once we get the chance to sit down and talk to everyone. Right now, we just need a spare bed to lay him down in, and some real food. We're gonna need a while, since we can't really go _anywhere _until he's recovered a little."

---

"So Kara has at last been killed, but what a severe cost…" mused redheaded Knave.

"Yeah." Aura reached across the table for a piece of bread and tapped it absently on the rim of her soup bowl before she started on it. "And he's really gonna need to just lie low and rest for a while, since none of us have any way of knowing when he'll pull out of this. He's taken a lot since this journey started, and idiot that he is, he's just tried to deal with it all by himself. For a long time, the rest of us have watched and known that just one push too hard could incapacitate him, maybe permanently. And it looks like this is that one push."

She and the others sat around a circular table, while Knave, Cid, Miles, and Aki of the Comodeen stood or sat around the room in order to listen to their story. Also present were the survivors of Isu—Tidus, Yuna, twins Rau and Mu, and Kiri's young friends, Sora, Riku, and Kairi. The silent girl Presea, and the thief boy Fungo, were also here—despite the fact that Fungo was probably too young to understand a lot of their discussion, no one had been able to remove him and _keep _him removed from the room for long, so they'd just let him stay in the end.

"It can't be helped, I guess," Cid said at length, scratching his head. "Although I suppose we're just lucky that one more of the bad guys is out of the equation, and that this place has gone unbothered by the Heartless for a long time by our standards. After that big fight you guys helped defend us in, we've had a couple of minor groups of Heartless come to attack us, but nothing more than that, so we've been able to build up our strength and we'll be able to defend this place if anything happens while you're here."

At this, Fabula frowned, darted a quick glance at Kairi, and raised an inquiring eyebrow at Lisa, who nodded slowly. With that girl's pure heart just sitting here, Lukahn and the Comodeen _should _have undergone continuous attacks by Azrael's forces, just as _their _party had. But as this place had been unmolested since they'd left… then they had evidently decided that it was Ai's heart they now needed, and no one else's.

A blessing, and a curse—the other peoples of Archaea would no longer be harassed for pure hearts, and their party would be able to continue to attract Azrael's attention, but from now until they finally managed to confront and defeat the summoner or thwart his purpose, they would continue to be bombarded with relentless fights.

And they might be drawing danger back here by deciding to stay until Kiri began to regain himself, but… there was really not much that could be done about it, as Lukahn was probably one of their best options. Kiri couldn't stand much travel or a serious attack in his condition.

Aura pushed her chair back. "Okay, so… do you guys mind if I leave? I want to take some of this up to Kiri, make sure he gets food in his system. He hasn't eaten anything all the way here."

Knave nodded to her. "Go ahead." And their table watched in silence as she ladled a fresh bowl of soup and picked up a piece of bread, retreating through the open door at the side of the room.

Once she was gone, Tidus frowned after her. "I don't get it… I thought that she and Kiri hated each other. Why is she acting like this now?"

"She was the one who found Kiri," Fabula said at length. "If you think he looks bad now, you should have seen him then—he hadn't shut down from the trauma yet, and it was horrible. And she understands _very _well that if she hadn't stepped in and killed Kara, there was nothing that would've stopped her from literally raping him to death, draining his power until there wasn't any left, nor a cohesive mind to restrain it. She saved him, and in a way I'd say she feels responsible for him."

"Aura… knows what something like this… can do to a person," Kaze added. "She… doesn't have it in her… to turn away from Madoushi now."

"And in times like these, those divided by the bitterest of grudges sometimes discover that they never hated each other quite so much as they thought," Rau commented, turning to his brother with a wry smile.

"Whatever the case may be… there's something else about us coming here that you have a right to know," Lisa began. "You see… we've discovered a little more about the motives of these people since we left your care…"

---

Aura sat at Kiri's bedside and sighed heavily.

He sat propped against a stack of pillows and the wall, dressed now in a loose white kimono, as his swordsman's clothes were being washed. Fabula had insisted that his Maken and Mistbelt be left on the floor beside the bed, because their presence was a comfort that Kiri desperately needed at the moment.

But to Aura, it looked as though Kiri was far beyond noticing whether they were there or not. He was staring blankly at the far wall, his lips slightly parted, his face as smooth and expressionless as a mask. She had to close her eyes and listen hard just to make sure that he was breathing, as his chest barely moved in the voluminous cover of his new sleepwear.

"I brought food," she said pointedly. "You need to keep your strength up. If you're going to get better, you have to eat. Don't you want any? You have to be hungry by now…"

Kiri just kept staring at the wall, as if he had never heard her speak.

"You have to eat _something," _Aura insisted, refusing to give up so easily. And she scooted in, setting the soup bowl on the sheets next to him. "Here." She filled the spoon and set it to his lips, tilting it carefully so that she wouldn't spill any on the bed.

As a trickle of broth ran from the corner of Kiri's lips, Aura sighed and wiped it away with the cloth napkin she'd brought along with the food, then ran a thumb along his throat until she felt him swallow. She repeated the process until most of the soup was gone, then set the bowl and the bread on the bedside table and put her head in her hands.

"So this is how it's going to be…" She shook her head. "You won't eat unless someone feeds you, won't keep yourself clean unless someone else does it. It's like you're already dead, and your body's given up on going through the motions. When are you going to snap out of it? There's someone waiting for you."

Still no response.

Aura just looked at him. "If Kumo saw you acting like this, he'd never forgive you."

Kiri's empty gaze slowly slid from the wall to her, even though their lifeless expression didn't change.

"I mean it. What that _creature _did to you was horrible and inhumane. But you have _got _to start moving forward again. You're going to have to _feel _all that rage and all that sadness sooner or later, so that you can get better. If you don't, then who the hell is going to save the one you love? We certainly can't leave you here, after all. So just _do _something. I don't care what—scream, cry, get up and run around, try to hurt yourself for all I care, just _do _something. Or you'll—"

Aura stopped short as she saw the silent tear slide down his cheek, followed by another, and another.

"Kiri…"

As his tears fell thicker than rain yet more silent than death, she gathered his unresponsive body to hers and held him, stroking his hair and rocking him.

"You're such an idiot…" she said as she cradled him. "You're every bit as stupid as that asinine brother of mine. You're just letting them win…"

But even as he wept soundlessly in her arms, Kiri didn't reply.

---

"Have you seen Aura anywhere?"

Yuna looked up from the Comodeen uniform she'd been repairing and shook her head. "But I know she was with Kiri a while ago. I bet she's resting right now… she's been spending so much time looking after him that it's starting to wear her down."

Fabula shook her head. "I know… which was why I was trying to figure out where she'd gone, so that I could get her to take a break. But if you think she's already off-duty, then that's a load off my mind."

Yuna pushed her hair out of her eyes and smiled, tugging on her needle and thread. "It's good she has a friend like you. I've seen the way you two look after each other, and if I didn't have Tidus I'd probably be jealous of you. Everybody needs someone to take care of them sometimes."

Fabula grimaced and pulled up an extra chair, sitting down. "It's just a shame that the person Kiri _really _needs to make him see sense can't get to him now. I've done everything I can think of to try to get through to him, but it's as though he doesn't even pay attention to a word unless he hears Kumo's name. And even then, it's a very slight thing."

"It seems like _everyone's _been in to see him over the past few days," Yuna remarked. "Especially the children. At least one of them always seems to be hanging around his room."

Fabula smiled wryly. "Well… he certainly did make a hit with them when they first met. Sora, Riku, and Kairi are good kids… I'm not surprised that they worry about him."

Yuna nodded. "But it's not just them… Presea and even Fungo seem to spend a lot of time with him, too. Actually… the way Kiri is right now reminds me a lot of how Presea used to act, after her father and sister died."

"Really." Fabula eased back in her chair. "But as compared to the way she was, she's a total social butterfly nowadays, isn't she? She's talking again, and she's been hanging around with the other kids. Didn't she use to always keep to herself?"

Yuna covered a smile with her hand. "I don't know the whole story, because I'm not one of them… but it was cute. Fungo decided that he was going to get her back to normal, and Miles tells me that when Fungo decides something, that's that. Now they're all inseparable."

Fabula just shook her head. "Now if they would just decide to do that for Kiri, we would be set." She sighed. "I really do worry that this time he won't pull out of it. He's got his strength back by now, but you just look at him and you practically see little prison bars in his eyes. He's hiding inside himself and he won't come out, not for anything. It's so frustrating."

"If only he'd open his eyes and realize just how much you all love him, it would do him so much good," Yuna mused, tying off her thread and holding up the repaired uniform.

Fabula nodded, but didn't reply.

---

"I'll be with you guys in a sec," Sora told his friends with a wave, and turned down the hall, walking towards the room in the big building the healers used as a hospital that belonged to Kiri.

He let himself in, and closed the door behind him before he went to sit at Kiri's bedside. His usual smile was absent from his face, and his deep blue eyes were clearly anxious.

Kiri sat propped against his pillows as he always did unless he was asleep; the healers had helped him back into his own cleaned and repaired clothing a few days ago, and to Sora's dismay, even the body-hugging fabric of his swordsman's reds was starting to bag at Kiri's wrists and elbows. Since soup was just about the only thing that Aura could manage to get into him, the Mystarian swordsman was beginning to lose weight. But as usual, the worst thing about Kiri's appearance was the emptiness of his crimson eyes.

"Was I wrong…?" Sora asked softly, reaching out to take Kiri's right hand in both of his.

There was a long silence as Sora sat there. The only noise was the soft shift of fabric as Kiri breathed.

"…No." Sora's fingers tightened around Kiri's hand. "No, I wasn't wrong. These hands were made for wielding a sword, and that's what they'll do, until the day you die. Your heart was born for compassion, and the need to protect. You're a strong person, and no matter _how _dead to the world you look, I _know _you're still in there somewhere. I thought maybe, because it hadn't found you yet…"

Sora shook his head, and smiled.

"I think you're just a late bloomer, Kiri. But I believe… I believe you can make it through this. You have a strong heart… as strong as mine, as strong as Riku's… stronger, even."

Letting go of Kiri's hand, Sora eased his chair back, then propped his elbows on the mattress, looking up at the red-haired swordsman with that same smile on his face.

"I'll tell you a story. They say that in the beginning, even before all the worlds were born, there was just the darkness and the light, and evil didn't exist. Everything existed in perfect balance. And as things came into being, the worlds were all filled with goodness and peace and joy.

"I know what you want to ask—everyone does. If there wasn't any evil to begin with, then where did it come from? And the answer is, it came from the good, of course. Because once something good realizes how truly good it is, it begins to think about how much better it is than everything else, and then it turns its back on the rest of goodness… and it isn't good any more. Darkness and light lost their equilibrium, and the people of the worlds began to fear the dark and the night. They coveted the light and held it to themselves so tightly that they used it all up, and the light went out.

"Or at least people thought it did. Because there was still light in the hearts of the children. They held onto it, and they nurtured it and they brought it back into the world. But it was around then that people started to realize that the balance needed to be protected, or the light or dark could be extinguished forever. And they created something that could restore the balance, if need be. That something was called—"

The door creaked open, and Sora sat up straight, his heart jumping, even though Kiri didn't move at all. If the wrong person had heard—

"Hey, Sora, are you coming or—" Even as Sora heaved a mental sigh of relief, Kairi stopped short, covering her mouth. "Oh… you were still talking to Kiri… I'm sorry…"

Sora smiled and shook his head. "No, it's okay. I was done anyway."

"Still… I'm sorry." Kairi walked into the room, biting her lip as she came to join him at Kiri's bedside. "Do you think he's ever going to be himself again?"

"Yeah." Sora reached out to pat Kiri's shoulder. "I think… I think he's stronger than we all know."

"I hope you're right." Kairi sat down on the bed and hugged Kiri tightly. "I miss him."

"He'll be okay, Kairi," Sora told her. "I just _know _he will. Now come on… he needs his rest."

Kairi sighed, nodded, and released her hold on the unresponsive young swordsman. "Riku and the others are waiting anyway."

As the two of them left, Sora glanced back at Kiri and nodded to himself. _I know you'll make it, even without me explaining it to you. I just have the feeling…_

And he closed the door, both to the room, and to his thoughts on the subject. If he got too serious, Riku or Kairi would just tease him about it, after all. Even in times like this, there was fun to be had.

---

Kaze and Lisa walked along the outskirts of Lukahn, hand-in-hand.

"So, you're sure you want to keep going like this?" Lisa asked hesitantly. "Even though it may seriously hurt you if you aren't careful?"

"If I can help all of you… with this weapon, then I will," Kaze replied. "I… won't lie. I have always hated it… feared it… but used it, nevertheless. That… shouldn't change now. I would rather be hurt… than see someone else hurt."

"Kaze…"

"I want to be strong," he insisted, and had she been in a less kind mood, Lisa would've called the low smolder in his cerulean eyes obstinate. "For my sister. For the children. For that boy… and for you." He halted his walk, and reached out to touch her cheek. "You make me want to… to better myself. To be able to give you what you need. To protect you."

Lisa sighed and leaned into his touch. "Kaze… all I need or want is to see you through this alive. The rest doesn't matter so much. You're important to me, and I… well, I guess you could say I want to be strong for you, too."

"Lisa." Kaze just smiled at her, and as usual, all the anxiety in her melted away as her heart went _splat. _It just wasn't fair that he could charm all the wits out of her brain with one little smile. "You're strong enough… to support me, every time… anything happens, with _this." _He shrugged his right arm, indicating the Magun. "You're… all I could ask for, and more. You care for me."

Seeing that he was struggling for words again, and knowing how difficult he found it to communicate through speech, Lisa just reached up and put her fingertips to his lips to silence him. His smile grew, and he leaned down towards her as she stretched up on tiptoe towards him.

And just as their lips were about to meet, the jarring bray of the sentry's horn blasted through the air.

---

Kiri curled tightly inside himself and tried to close off his heart from the apparition before him.

This time, he _knew _he wasn't going mad (though actually, he wouldn't've been surprised if he had been) or hallucinating, but that the vague, flickering image of Kumo was a very weak astral projection, the only way that Kumo could communicate with anyone, and something that was hurting him badly to do. For those reasons and many others, Kiri wished that Kumo would decide it wasn't worth the bother and go back to… to wherever he was most of the time.

It hurt to see him. Oh, it hurt to watch Kumo cry and beg and scream silently to try to get his attention, to feel the distant, ghostly touch of those transparent fingers at his shoulders as Kumo fruitlessly tried to shake him. And it would hurt when Kumo finally gave up on him, but it hurt worse just to have Kumo there in the room with him, to have Kumo look at him. He couldn't bear it. Because he wasn't worthy of his beloved's concern, and never would be again. He was so dirty, so impure, that seeing this pure and completely unknowing creature before him was killing him.

He was defiled, and despoiled, and barren of any hope that he would ever be worthy of his beloved again. If Kumo stayed here long enough, Kiri would just end up defiling him, too. So he didn't react, didn't reach out, the way he ached to.

And his heart cried out in anguish as he saw Kumo drop his head, cover his face with his hands, visibly begin to sob as that faint and flickering form sank to the ground, rocking in despair. This, too, felt like betrayal.

Somewhere inside, Kiri stirred and frowned as he saw Kumo jerk up, wide-eyed with something like horror, then as that faint image winked out.

The discordant blare of a horn cut through the air… and in its wake, Kiri began to sense something that made him sit bolt upright even through the weight of his depression.

"No. It… can't be…" he whispered hoarsely.

---

Lisa cursed under her breath, red-faced, as she and Kaze made their way up the stairs to the roof of one of the many row buildings so close together that one could easily step from one building to the next. "Those Heartless—!! I _swear, _their sense of timing…! I'd like to wring a few of their filthy black necks…"

The two of them burst into the air to see that the Comodeen's commander-in-chief, Knave, was standing on a nearby rooftop, with Aura, Fabula, Yuna, Rau, and Sora's little group arranged there as well. Many of the Comodeen, including Cid and Knave, as well as Tidus, Mu, and Presea, were standing in front of the buildings, on the ground. A thick swarm of Darkballs, Invisibles, and unusually large, strong-looking Shadow Heartless were making their way towards Lukahn.

"Good to see you two here," Knave called to them. "This is a small force compared to the siege, and between the abilities of our fighters, I don't think they pose too much threat, but it's good to have a strong force here anyway, just in case. Aki has the doctors and the healers under her command, if you'd rather stay with them."

Lisa shook her head. "Sorry, but today I'm more in the mood for breaking heads. If that's okay with you, that is."

"The more the merrier," Knave said with a shrug. "Is there anything we can do over this distance to affect them before they can get at us?"

Yuna shifted her hands on her staff. "Once they get a little closer, I can summon something," she offered. "But now…"

Kaze shrugged one shoulder. "I would rather wait… until there is need. Summoning… costs me too much now."

"Lisa, could your Kigenjutsu get to them from here?" Fabula asked.

Lisa shook her head. "I'm not sure. I could start to affect the ground in front of them, to slow them down, maybe…"

"But slowing them down won't help _too _much," Knave said. "All right, then, you should save your energies as well."

"Wait." Rau, standing at the edge of the foremost building, turned around. "If she, or I, could help to split the Heartless up so that they won't hit our ground forces in so solid a wall, should we?"

Looking a bit surprised, Knave nodded. "If you think you can, then be my guest."

Rau inclined his head graciously, then turned towards Lisa. "Miss Pacifist, I believe I require your assistance with this. My ever-persuasive brother insists that for the sake of my health, I shouldn't attempt to affect anything nearing the magnitude of what I tried on the road the last time we traveled together. However, if we split our attention, between the earth and the plants, we should be able to come up with something similar."

Lisa nodded. "All right. I would probably be better off encouraging the plants to grow… Kigenjutsu isn't particularly good at destroying things."

She hopped across the gap from one roof to the next as he closed his eyes and his spirit began to resonate with the powers of his mind.

As she heard the ground begin to crack, she sighed and extended her hands, appealing to the potential locked within the grasses and shrubs that littered the stretch of ground between the detail of Heartless and Lukahn's borders.

She felt the spiritual explosion before she heard it, and watched the earth explode, then shoot into life. The Heartless coming towards them let out annoyed cries, struggling through the obstacles with their advance checked and their lines broken. Lisa sighed and eased back as she heard the spellcasters and Yuna begin their chants, and watched Kaze and Aura checking their guns and bullets.

"Thank you—" she began as she turned to Rau, then cried out as he dropped hard to his knees with a strangled curse.

Seeing the writhing pulse of muscles beneath his skin, Lisa paled and automatically stepped back. _Seizure. _She'd never treated someone in this condition before, but… she couldn't just let inexperience force her to sit back and watch him fight his own body until the muscle spasm that had overtaken him subsided.

But before she could really steel herself to get down and treat him, _Kairi _had run up to him, laying her hands against his back as their palms began to glow.

As Rau sighed and relaxed, the twitch of his muscles subsiding, Lisa looked to the young girl in amazement. "Kairi… you have healing magic?"

Kairi shrugged. "Yeah… but just a little. Barely enough to help in times like this." As she pulled away, Rau turned and laid a hand on her head in wordless thanks.

Lisa smiled at her, then knelt down next to Rau, steadying him with both hands. "Whatever it is that's been affecting your health, it's getting worse. You need to take it easy from now on, or your brother's going to have all our heads for letting you strain yourself."

"Spare the lecture." Rau was already focused inward, stabilizing his breathing. "I'm a fencer. I _know _my limits—and I know that I couldn't lift my rapier right now, let alone keep up the footwork for longer than five minutes. I'm done."

"Good," Lisa informed him, then left Kairi to take him into the town's interior to rest at the healers' quarters. Running her hands through her hair, she looked up at the battle before her.

Some of the Heartless had gotten through the maze of jagged earth and out-of-control foliage, and managed to dodge enough spells that they'd gotten to the ranks of Comodeen and other fighters, who were enthusiastically carving them up. It seemed as though this battle was under control.

And yet…

Lisa could sense a strange spirit drawing close, and frowned as she saw white tendrils like fog snaking through the undergrowth. "Kaze…" she called, and he turned to her, pausing in selecting a target to shoot at. "Something's coming, something powerful. Do you see that smoke? I hate to say this, but you might have to…"

Before she could finish her sentence, however, Yuna let out a wild cry, and the bird she'd summoned squawked. But by the time Lisa turned, she couldn't see what had attacked it, and the summon had already vanished.

"Yuna, what's—?" she called.

The brunette shook her head wildly. "Oh, God… not here, not now…" She turned towards Lisa, a wild fear in her eyes. "It's that man, that demon swordsman that attacked us before! Azrael Astaroth must have found out where we were, and sent that _creature _to finish the job…"

Kaze didn't wait for anything else, but whipped his right arm from under his cloak, and yelled, triggering the Magun's transformation.

Lisa bit her lip and turned towards the battlefield, both unwilling to watch Kaze out of worry and troubled by the spirit she sensed. It was powerful, yes—but also so _familiar, _and she couldn't place it…

As Kaze began to reach for the bullets at his belt, the door that led to the rooftops blasted open, and none other than _Kiri _ran towards them, ashen to the lips, his sword in his hand and a frantic look in his eyes. "Kaze, wait! That's—"

But Kaze wasn't going to wait, not even for this. "The solid earth that protects, Gaia Brown—" He jammed the first bullet into its chamber, and reached for the second. "The hidden, silent passion, Deep Vermillion. And finally, the eternal vitality of life, Evergreen!" Slamming the chambers shut with his left palm, Kaze swung the Magun up, tightening his finger on the trigger. "Obliterate! I summon you—_Shokanju Titan!"_

Even as Kiri cried, _"You're making a mistake!"_ the scene was wrapped in gunsmoke, and a brown and yellow golem-like giant rose in the field as the Comodeen's ground forces (wisely) decided to take cover.

The giant swiped its arm along the ground, crushing plants and earth alike; something hidden in the foliage leaped in a graceful flip, easily evading the blow, and perched at the tip of a jagged block of stone that Rau's powers had unearthed.

Delicate and coldly beautiful, clothed in something pale green and sensual that hugged his body, sporting glittering fans of pink-and-violet wings like those of the young girl Colette who lived at the last Church of Angelus their party had visited, staring at his opposition out of blank eyes the color of the sky, he was unmistakably…

"Oh, God… is that…?" Lisa asked, hit hard with the numbness of shock.

"It is… it's Kumo…" Fabula replied, faintly.

Kiri, reaching Kaze, grabbed the tall gunner's shoulders in hands clutched as tight as claws. _"Stop that thing NOW," _he hissed, the spark of desperation that was almost madness in his eyes.

"I… can't," Kaze managed, ashen.

Kiri swore vibrantly, and turned anxious eyes on the heartless form of his brother as the summon Titan advanced slowly towards him.

They saw Kumo's hand move towards the belts that still crossed his waist, and there was a flash even more brilliant than those when Kiri summoned—

—And _four _white, serpentine Ittouju twisted in the sky.

They hissed; one swept forward and plunged straight through the body of Kaze's summon, which dissolved into a shower of brown, orange, and green Soil. The Ittouju, unfazed, turned towards the group of fighters clustered on the rooftops expectantly as Kaze sank stunned to his knees.

Kiri swore again, and fumbled with the Mist bottles at his own belt. "Play it! _The Rose Quartet!"_

Four red Ittouju joined the white ones in the sky, leaving Kiri shaking violently where he stood, obviously fighting just to keep standing. The dragons hissed at each other and circled suspiciously—then dove at each other so viciously that Lisa couldn't help but gasp as she watched.

As they collided, all eight of them shattered.

And Kiri screamed in pain.

Lisa whirled around in time to see his body jerk, swaying forward onto his toes, for just a moment before his eyes rolled back and his scream was cut off as his body dropped onto the hard stone of the rooftop, blood beginning to soak the front of his shirt, spilling in a near-black pool around his chest.

As the others ran to him, Lisa peeked over her shoulder at where Kumo had stood.

The young swordsman in green was gone.

(TBC)


	28. The Cage of Dreams

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

"Kiri, hang on!"

The red-haired swordsman was entirely beyond hearing the shouted plea. He lay twisted and shaking on the stone of the roof, his breathing ragged and uneven, his skin cold, pale, and clammy, and blood continuing to well from his chest.

"Shouldn't we try to get him to the healers'…?" Knave suggested hesitantly.

"There's no time for that," Lisa told him sharply and matter-of-factly. "We have to start emergency treatment right here and now, or else he's never going to make it." She turned to Fabula and Aura, who had carefully moved Kiri to lie on his back while she explained. "How easily can we get his shirt off without moving him?"

"Let me," Fabula said instantly, and gently slipped the blood-soaked garment from Kiri's unresponsive body, folding it and carefully sliding it to rest under his head.

Ai, leaning over to see, cried out in confusion. "But there's no wound…!"

"His heart is bleeding," Fabula told the others. "And the hemorrhaging is so severe that blood is seeping straight through the pores in his skin. I've heard of this occurring in Mystarians before, but never seen it. This is _very _bad. If we can't heal him quickly, the muscular tissue of his heart itself will lose so much blood that it won't be able to function, and he could wind up having a heart attack."

Lisa crouched down next to Kiri and carefully turned his face towards her. "Kiri, if you can hear me, try to say something," she said in a loud, clear voice, even as she pulled a folded piece of gauze from a pouch at her belt and shoved it into Ai's hands. "Hold this over his chest, and make sure you maintain pressure." As the girl squirmed in to do so, Lisa felt at Kiri's throat, then pulled back his eyelids, cursing as she saw that his pupils were almost fully dilated. "Damn it, he's going into shock. Somebody give me my staff!"

As she turned around and beckoned to Kaze, who had collapsed into a sitting position right next to the tall wooden pole, Ai suddenly cried out.

"What _is _it?" Aura demanded. "We don't have time for you freaking out right now!"

"I—can't feel his heartbeat," Ai stammered.

Lisa swung back around, paling. _"No…" _Steadying her hands, she tilted Kiri's head back and leaned in, listening. She could neither hear nor see him breathe, and when she touched his throat, she couldn't feel a pulse.

Fabula elbowed Aura out of the way and placed both hands on Kiri's chest. "You start rescue breathing, and I'll give compressions," she ordered.

"Right." Lisa bent down, sealed her mouth over Kiri's, and breathed air into his lungs twice, pulling back to allow Fabula to thrust the heel of her hand into the space right below Kiri's breast fifteen times. As they did so, Ai hovering anxiously all the while, Aura flipped open the chamber of her right-hand revolver and dumped out its twenty-four bullets, then loading one single yellow bullet before she closed it again.

"It's not working," Fabula was saying frustratedly. "There has to be something else we can do, this is useless enough—with all this blood, my hands won't stop slipping…"

"All right, you three back off. Ai, give me that gauze."

As Aura accepted the gauze pad and quickly wiping Kiri's chest relatively free of blood, Lisa watched her, confused. "What are you…?"

"Drastic measures," she replied almost casually, and put the silver muzzle of her gun right up against Kiri's still chest.

"And just what in the hell—" Lisa nearly squalled, panic flooding her system.

"Stay back, I said. And that means _all _of you. Get clear, and don't touch him," Aura ordered. Slowly, she squeezed on the trigger, and the revolver's barrel began to spin furiously.

There was a click as Aura jerked the trigger home, then the crack of lightning as a powerful surge of electricity jolted through Kiri's body, his spine arching in and his chest bowing up with the sheer force as he gasped. And as he eased back onto the ground, he was coughing piteously, every struggling breath a sob.

"What did you…?" Ai asked, clearly amazed.

"Electric shock to restart his heart," Aura explained. "It's something all gunmages have to learn, although I swear I never thought I'd actually need to do it. It's dangerous, but it can save someone's life."

"It certainly can," Fabula agreed, giving Aura a warm smile. "Thank you."

Finally accepting her staff from Kaze, who'd managed to pick it up and bring it over while Aura had been busy with Kiri, Lisa scooted back over to his side. "He's still bleeding… and we certainly can't have that." She sighed, set the crystal of her staff to his chest, and focused her energy through it, concentrating at the same time on Kiri's own spirit, which despite his depression over the past days was still desperately trying to cling to life. "Come back," she murmured. "You can't leave us now—not when Kumo needs you." And she sent a bolt of healing light straight into his body as she called on her Kigenjutsu to amplify his spirit.

Kiri gasped again from the force of the healing Lisa was working on him, then went limp, still breathing raggedly but no longer bleeding.

Very carefully gathering up Kiri's long body, Fabula stood, cradling him in her arms. "Come on. We'd better get him down to the doctors and healers to rest."

---

"Kiri is one very ill young man right now," Lisa explained with a sigh, pushing her hair out of her face. "He was already weakened by depression and lack of solid food before this, and in countering Kumo's summon, he completely exhausted his energy reserves, which very obviously almost killed him. And then there's all the physical and mental trauma he's been through lately, which has just been adding up all this time… so now, unless he's treated by a more skilled professional healer than me, he's going to need months of bed rest and therapeutic care to get over his weakness and learn to cope with having been sexually assaulted."

"So, is that why his heart stopped?" Ai asked. "Kiri just pushed himself too hard?"

"I would've gone into a more detailed explanation if I'd had the time, but there's something else as well," Fabula put in. "Mystarians are very prone to a condition that healers like Lisa refer to as 'Broken Heart Syndrome', where sudden, massive emotional trauma such as grief affects the body so severely that it can cause dangerous problems, even—as we've seen—cardiac arrest." She shook her head. "Kiri, already depressed, couldn't handle seeing Kumo's body under the control of Azrael's forces, and his entire being rebelled at having to actually summon on the one he loves more than anything else. And in addition to all that, there's the physical backlash of having four Ittouju destroyed simultaneously. So it's as Lisa says—Kiri's body and soul couldn't handle the trauma and started to shut down."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Aura asked, planting her hands on her hips. "Once again, it's not like we can leave him here, but powerful healers aren't exactly a dime a dozen in times like these."

One by one, they each turned to look at Kiri where he lay sleeping in the makeshift hospital bed, his facial expression even and calm despite how paled he was by blood loss. Knowing what his reaction would have been, the healers and the rest of his party had come to the unanimous decision to put him under by means of both sedatives and Fabula's sleep spells until they could figure out what should be done with him. His clothes were off to the wash again (Miles wasn't happy at having to scrub out yet another bloodstained piece of fabric and had heralded the arrival of Kiri's swordsman's reds with a reel of curses so vibrant that it had made Aura smile), and so just visible above his folded hands and the edge of the comforter was the line of stitches down the center of his bare chest. Once Fabula had carried Kiri down to the Comodeen's "hospital" and explained what had happened to him outside, Aki had decided that he would need surgery in order to drain the excess blood from his chest cavity. It was just another reason that he needed to be kept under anesthesia; if he happened to awaken, he would be in so much pain—both mental _and _physical—that he wouldn't be able to stand it.

"What do we do, indeed…" Fabula shook her head. "We could take him to one of the Churches of Angelus in hopes that a cleric or priest would be able to perform a healing, but it likely wouldn't be strong enough. I'm sure they trained mind-healers at the same university Lisa went to, but we don't know if it even survived, and in any case trying to go that far south with Kiri in his condition would be a fool's errand we likely wouldn't survive."

"If the Heartless hadn't overwhelmed Ivalice, maybe we would've been able to find a healer there," Lisa said with a despairing shake of her head. "And His Majesty was a brilliant scientist. Surely he would've been able to think of _something."_

"I don't know about here, but where _I'm _from, scientists are more likely to foul things up than sort them out," Aura said wryly, stretching. "So it may be just as well."

Fabula hid a smile. "Maybe. But then, if I may say so, _all _Windarians tend to succumb to their insatiable curiosity more often than not. Even as a Guide, cloistered off from the rest of the world, _I'd _heard of Ansem the Wise. He was a great man."

"None of the places we've been so far has the healers who could take care of Kiri, though," Ai interrupted. "So that just leaves Bellebane, the port city to the north of here."

"But Bellebane is a trade and military-based city," Lisa said, shaking her head. "So I don't know…"

"Have we no choice… but to wait, or leave him, after all?" Kaze ventured.

There was another long silence in which they all turned to give Kiri guilty looks.

"There is one more place you could try," offered a voice that came from behind them all.

Collectively, they turned to see that Rau had been sitting on the edge of another bed the entire time, listening to them discuss their options.

"I don't mean to be intrusive, or to eavesdrop, but I don't like seeing Kiri Madoushi reduced to an invalid any more than the rest of you do," he continued. "And it so happens that there _is _one other place for you to try to go, other than Port Bellebane—where there are no healers up to the task of repairing Kiri's mental damage, by the way. There's a village you'll hit on the road between Bellebane and here known as Fuyushin. And it may sound strange, but I do not doubt for one moment that its residents are safe from the Heartless."

"Well, why is that?" Ai wanted to know.

"For the same reason that Kiri would find healing there," was Rau's reply. "There is a family of artists there known as the Hikari whose work has—interesting magical properties, to say the least. And I do believe that there are some pieces they have produced with the power to heal."

"I've heard some pretty strange rumors about that place," Lisa said with a grimace. "I don't know… you could be right. It's our best chance, at any rate."

"I went there, once," Rau told them. "And whatever you've heard, a great deal of it is true. The town certainly does have the name 'Fuyushin' for a reason."

Aura and Kaze exchanged nonplussed looks; Fabula smiled and explained.

"Because it's spelled with the characters for 'winter' and 'god', isn't that right?" She traced the kanji in the air with her finger. "It's only a minor village, so I wasn't sure if it would have survived, but if the rumors _are _actually true, then it's believable. The powers of the Hikari clan are formidable to say the least."

Rau smiled and nodded. "Yes… and while you're here, you'd better get some warm clothing from the stores. You've doubtless heard that Fuyushin is buried in eternal winter—and while that isn't _exactly _true, since they do have seasons like the rest of Archaea, it'll definitely be snowing now. You'll want to bundle Kiri up tightly… somehow I doubt that his system will be able to take the cold the way he is now." He turned to look out the window, and pointed. "Just keep taking the road north, and when the weather starts to turn colder, turn to the east. You'll find it. And when you get there… ask for Rio Hikari. She should be able to help you. Her parents were in control of the clan when I visited, but you could never accuse anyone in that family of having a long life expectancy, so I'm guessing that she'll be their leader now."

"Rio Hikari," Lisa repeated. "If it's true that she can help Kiri, we'll find her. Thank you so much for telling us this."

"It's the least I can do," he replied, shaking his head. "Our people aren't living in hiding any longer. They're fighting, and as long as they do so, they have hope. We have a home again, and those who would support us. The children are getting fed. I've heard Presea speak, seen her _smile, _when we all thought she never would again. We owe all of that to you—and especially to _him." _Rau pointed at Kiri. "So while we may not be able to do much for you, any of us will do whatever we can to help."

"Still," Lisa insisted. "What matters is that right now, you're the one who's given us hope that we'll be able to save Kiri. Thank you… we're all more grateful than any of us can say."

---

"I hope they'll be alright out there," Kairi said with a grimace, shading her eyes against the sunrise in order to watch Kiri's friends' departure from the same rooftop where the latest battle against the Heartless' forces had been conducted. "I've never seen Kiri this way before… it's a little worrying."

Sora stretched, then leaned back, kicking his heels against the wall where he sat. "Don't wear yourself out, Kairi. I'm sure he'll be fine. Kiri's a lot stronger than even he knows, after all."

Kairi made a face. "…I hope you're right."

Sora gave her a thumbs-up and a bright smile. "Of course I'm right! After all, he's fought so hard for everyone here even though he's been so sick lately. And Fabula and Lisa and the others are going to go get him help, so there's absolutely nothing to be afraid of. I _know _he'll be okay."

Riku, standing behind him, leaned over and poked him in the cheek. "Okay, so what's got _you _in such a good mood? You've been practically slaphappy all morning. What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know," was Sora's evasive answer as he turned back to the group of travelers heading towards the main road. "I guess I just… slept well or something. I feel good today."

"If you say so," Riku replied, shaking his head and wearing a smile that said he knew better. "It's not like I don't mind the change from everybody else's long faces."

"Yeah, it's more fun being around people who are smiling," Fungo put in, walking in a semicircle around the others to sit on the edge of the roof like Sora.

"You should say so—no one ever sees you doing anything _else," _Kairi scoffed, grinning as she wrinkled her nose at him.

"Except eating us out of house and home," Sora added, laughing.

_"Children," _Riku told them in a scolding but still indulgent tone. "Please."

Fungo laughed; Presea, standing behind him, covered a smile. Sora and Kairi both turned towards Riku and made faces at him.

"Well, Sora and Fungo are definitely correct about one thing—it isn't productive to keep worrying about Kiri and the others like this. They can take care of themselves," Presea said pragmatically. "Besides… there's always more wood to be chopped at this time of day, and I bet the rest of you have chores that won't do themselves, too." She headed towards the stairs with a wave.

Sora grimaced. "Don't you just hate it when she's right?" He got up, dusted off his red shorts, and turned to Fungo, smiling again. "Come on. If we're late for kitchen duty, Cid'll get mad."

Kairi swatted him on the head. "Stupid. _You _know Cid won't get mad if you're a little late—you just know that if you're early, he'll _feed _you!"

Sora grinned. "Maybe." But he and Fungo just headed off after Presea.

"I _swear, _sometimes those two…" Kairi rolled her eyes and shook her head, though she was smiling.

"I know what you mean," Riku told her with a replying grin. "So, do you have anything to do today, or have you managed to squeak off the duty lists?"

"Well, I have to go down to see Aki and the doctors today," Kairi admitted. "They're going to teach me to do first-aid! I wanna help when everybody has to fight, so I guess I'd better get going." With a smile, she turned and ran over to the stairs.

Riku waved, then turned back to watch Kiri's party heading towards the road.

"The best of luck to all of you…" he murmured, then shook his head and turned towards his own duties for the day.

---

It had started getting cold when the party had only been traveling north for half a day, and it seemed as though the closer they got to Fuyushin, the more severely the temperatures seemed to plummet. It wasn't long before Ai noticed that she could see her breath in the air before her, and only hours after _that, _the thick gray clouds they'd been traveling beneath for the past several hours began to drop the tiniest flakes of snow.

And once the wind picked up… well, it was enough to say that Ai was _very _glad that they'd taken Rau's advice and raided the Comodeen's supply of warm clothing before they'd left. With every step, her body protested that it was just too _early _for the weather to have turned like this; she could only imagine how the _adults _felt, as their bodies weren't nearly as adaptable as hers still was.

For instance, Kaze, trudging through the snow next to her, wore a grimace that looked as if it would soon become permanent, tightly clutching his right arm through his heavy cloak. Ai knew it had been bothering him ever since the battle at Conkram, and supposed that with the weather it was hurting him even worse now.

But, of course, it was Kiri that Ai was _really _worried about. Right when the weather had started getting bad, they'd collectively coaxed him into an ill-fitting fleece-lined coat, but his unprotected face was flushed bright pink from the wind's bite. He was half-conscious as best, and his eyes still had that lost, hazy look to them that had been so disturbing after their retreat from Kara's mansion. He stumbled along their path blindly, leaning on Fabula's supportive shoulder, and even so, Ai could clearly hear his labored breathing above the wind.

"We should be there soon," Aura yelled, pitching her voice to make it audible. "Look—you can see it not far from here."

Ai squinted in the direction Aura pointed, shading her eyes so that snow wouldn't blow into them. "Are those—lights?" she asked aloud.

Lisa, bringing up the rear, sighed with relief. "Yes! And now that we're so close, I think I can make us a little more noticeable—give me a moment—" She held her staff forward and closed her eyes in concentration for a few moments; the crystal at its head began to glow.

Ai blew into her hands. "I suppose we're just lucky we haven't run into any Heartless out here," she said dubiously. "I mean… in this snowstorm, we wouldn't really be able to fight back."

Fabula shook her head. "No… it's not luck. I think that the same thing that makes it so cold around here is also keeping the Heartless away. I can sense a magical barrier of some sort, but I don't recognize this style of magic at all."

Lisa nodded. "I feel it too."

Aura made a face. "Well, I can't. The closest thing _I_ can feelto Heartless or anything that might keep them out is a headache that's moving on migraine proportions, thanks. And does it really matter anyway? We just have to get Kiri into Fuyushin fast, and find that Hikari woman so that she can heal him. Besides, do you guys _really _want to stand around chatting in this weather? Come on, let's get moving."

Kaze grimaced. "She… has a point," he said wryly, kneading his arm.

Fabula nodded, shook Kiri a little to get his attention (such as it was), and began to lead him forward once more, heading for those all-too-distant lights.

As Ai tried to ignore the way she could feel the tips of her fingers and toes and her nose growing numb from exposure to the cold, they drew closer and closer, until finally they crossed the town's outer border.

Although there didn't seem to be any people around, the going was easier here—the streets had been shoveled recently, so they didn't have to kick through nearly enough snow, and the lights hung on posts by the buildings greatly improved their visibility. Once they'd gotten into an intersection of roads, Fabula stopped, rubbing Kiri's shoulders in an attempt to warm him up.

"Okay, everyone…" She sighed. "It's obvious we aren't going to find wherever Rio Hikari lives by bumbling around here, so we'd better look for an inn where we can warm up first and maybe ask around as to where we might find her."

"Sounds good to—" Aura started to say, then paused and took a few steps around their circle. "Hey, over there… can you tell us where we can find either an inn or a woman named Rio Hikari?"

Ai peeked past the others to see that a boy about her age with bright red hair, muddy reddish-brown eyes, a fur-lined coat, and a satchel slung like a messenger bag over his shoulders had been crossing the road, and was now walking towards them, sticking his hands into his pockets to warm them.

"You guys aren't from around here, are you?" he called, frowning, as he drew closer. "Rio Hikari's been dead for years…"

Aura swore vibrantly. "Great! _Now _what are we supposed to do? If she's dead, who the hell are we supposed to turn to for help?"

But the boy shook his head, squinting through the snow at Kiri, then visibly paling. "My God… you've come here for a healing, haven't you? Well, obviously this can't wait… I'll take you to Satoshi right away."

"Satoshi…" Aura repeated, frowning.

"Satoshi Hikari," the boy elaborated. "He's Rio's son. Come on—I'm sure he'll do everything he can for your friend, and we shouldn't leave him standing out in the cold any longer." And he beckoned, starting to head down one of the streets. "And I can get you guys to a good inn afterwards."

"Thank you," Lisa told him warmly. "This was the only place we could still go…"

"It's no problem, really," the boy assured her. "It's been a while since we've had news from outside the village. If there's anyone out there, either the barrier or the snow has been keeping them away ever since the Heartless started showing up. My family's probably going to want to interrogate you about how things are going, so don't thank me yet."

"We're used to that by now," Ai assured him, shaking her head. "So it's not like that's a big deal."

He sighed. "Well, that's a good thing. I'm Daisuke, by the way. Daisuke Niwa." And before any of them could reply, he pointed to a large brick house nearby. "We're here."

---

Aura flicked snow out of her hair and whistled.

The inside of the Hikari house—mansion, more like—was lavishly endowed, with thickly carpeted floors and beautifully polished wooden furniture. One such table next to the foyer was decorated with a delicately woven blue cloth, a shallow dish of potpourri that emitted a smell reminiscent of honeysuckle, and a tall, milky green vase. It reminded Aura a little of rich families' homes she'd seen while back in Windaria—and just the thought of those self-indulgent, soft-handed, complacent fops practically had her in hives. Which didn't exactly help the annoying little twinge in her temples that she just _knew _was going to go full-blown migraine in a matter of hours. She wanted to get Kiri into this Satoshi kid's hands as quickly as possible, then find some nice cozy inn and curl up under the blankets so that she could _sleep _until this whole thing was over.

Barely had she completed that thought when she heard footsteps echoing through one of the house's broad, dark halls. _Finally, _she growled to herself. Sleep was not going to be far away now.

"Ah—it looks like this is Satoshi now…" Daisuke began, then frowned as the approaching figure was revealed as a tall young man with elegantly coiffed blonde hair pulled back into a long silken ponytail, dressed in a liquid-looking overrobe and a distinctly unfriendly expression. His eyes were some dark color like the deep vats of honey Windarian beekeepers spun from honeycombs, and smoldered, flickering in odd balance with the light shining off of a heavy, metallic cross suspended by three chains at his breast.

"What are _you _doing here?" the man demanded, his voice acid with hatred and suspicion.

"Please, Krad…" Daisuke entreated, holding out his hands. "These people need to see Satoshi. Can't you see that this man needs healing? _Please! _I know you don't like me being here, but—I can stay right here, if you want me to—"

"What care have I for the business of humans?" the man named Krad said coldly. "I will not suffer a Niwa to enter this house. _Leave."_

Aura bristled. "Look, I don't know where you get off, but—"

_"Aura," _Kaze said warningly. She glared daggers at him, but fell silent, crossing her arms.

"Leave now, or I shall have to assist you," Krad told them.

Silence filled the room as the blonde man simply waited impassively for them to follow his orders. No one moved.

_"Leave," _Krad insisted once again, but as he took a step towards them, a milk-pale hand reached from the darkness to clasp his upper arm, and he fell short as a boy about Daisuke's age or perhaps a little bit older emerged from behind him.

"What have I told you about attempting to detain guests?" the boy asked, looking somewhat irritated as he pushed his tumble of sky-blue hair out of deeper blue eyes that gazed knowingly out on the world from behind silver-framed glasses. "Daisuke… I see you've brought company."

"Satoshi," Daisuke almost sighed, his tense posture slackening with relief.

Lisa stepped forward and bowed to the blue-haired young man. "Hikari-san, we've come here because our friend here desperately needs mental and physical healing, and because we were advised that you were the one to ask."

"No need to be so formal. Come in," Satoshi said mildly, beckoning towards the darkness of the inner house. At Krad's sulky sidelong look, the younger boy fixed him with a glare. _"Yes, _Daisuke too. Consider it a safety measure, if you like… this way you can keep an eye on him."

Krad made a pouty face. Satoshi pointedly ignored him. "This way, please. Try not to touch any of the artwork; some if it is old and quite delicate." And he picked up a candle in a tray and began to venture into the darkness.

The party exchanged glances; Aura was the first to shrug and go after him. The sooner Kiri got situated, the sooner _she _could get some real live sleep.

Satoshi opened a door in one of the long halls and revealed a set of white stairs. "What's your red-haired friend's name?" he asked as he began his descent, seemingly without even a thought that they wouldn't follow him.

"Kiri Madoushi," Fabula replied.

"Tell me a little about him, and his condition," Satoshi probed, continuing to walk and holding his candle high to illuminate the way ahead. Even so, Aura could see nothing but stairs and darkness.

"He's nineteen years old. Healthy, to the best of my knowledge, and I've watched over him since he was a boy, so I know that he's never had any major illnesses. He's a swordsman, and a summoner, but he's Mystarian, so he's a lot more delicate than someone with that position around here would be. Kiri has a good heart and a forceful personality; his temperament's a bit what you'd call choleric. He's dealt with depression before, but never like this." Fabula rubbed Kiri's shoulder supportively and shook him a little to coax him around a bend in the stairs. "As for his condition at the moment, well… he's had to deal with too many shocks too quickly, for one thing. He was raped not long ago, and only a few days ago he was badly injured in a fight. And we know based on the testimony of several healers—not the least among them Lisa here—that unless he receives professional treatment by someone who can touch the mind and soul as well as the body, he'll never recover."

"This is serious, then," Satoshi mused. "But I think one of our oldest works may be just the thing that can help him."

As he spoke, he stepped from the stairs onto shiny hardwood floor covered with beautifully woven rugs—and the light of his candle illuminated a stunningly lovely clutter of art arranged almost haphazardly throughout a huge catacomb with high, vaulted ceilings.

_"Damn."_ Aura looked up and turned in a slow circle, squinting at what seemed to be a mural painted over the ceilings. "And may I say: Damn. This is one frickin' _big _basement."

"Somehow I don't think I'm going to tell Mom and Grampa about this," Daisuke said faintly.

"For your own sake, you'd best not," Krad replied in clipped tones.

"This way," Satoshi told them, and began to pick his way around towards the other side of the stairs.

"What's _that?" _Ai wanted to know, pointing at something of glistening white marble. "It looks like a coffin… it's creepy."

"That is the 'Cage of Dreams'," Satoshi informed her. "A large part of it, anyway. And one of my ancestors created it to repair the shattered mind of a woman she knew who had been gang-raped and beaten near to death. It hasn't been used in quite some time, and so I'm sure that it still has the power to assist your friend."

As they drew closer, Aura saw that the coffin or whatever it was had been lined with blue velvet and filled with soft-looking cushions and even a pillow of the same. And in the center of all that plush padding lay a pair of jewel-studded golden gauntlets covered in minuscule, highly detailed engravings, two slim and delicate ropes of braided gold with jewels on each, and what looked to be a silver ring.

"Are you sure that you want Kiri Madoushi treated here?" Satoshi asked, standing at the side of the coffin and looking at their group appraisingly.

"Yes," Fabula replied after looking to each member of their circle. "Anything. We need him… and the one he loves is waiting for him, somewhere out there."

"Then bring him here." Fabula did; she and Satoshi helped him to sit against the side of the coffin and slowly slid off his coat. "The coffin is only a part of the Cage of Dreams. These five pieces of jewelry are all bindings that influence the treatment. Once he is wearing all of them and is laid to rest here, he will fall into a coma that cannot be safely broken until his healing is complete. You seem to be his guardian… do you consent to subject him to this?"

Fabula just nodded.

Satoshi picked up the ring first, and slid it onto Kiri's right ring finger. Its silver glinted in the darkness of the room, and Aura now saw that a beautifully shining black opal was studded on the band. "This is the Thorn of Hope, one part of the Cage of Dreams," he murmured, then reached for the gauntlets. "And these—Knowledge and its Pitfall, and the Entrapment of Love." As Fabula held Kiri steady, Satoshi carefully fastened them to the barely-conscious Mystarian's forearms. "The Desire to Awaken…" Satoshi picked up the shorter gold chain and fastened it as a circlet around Kiri's forehead. The largest jewel along its length, an icy blue crystal that shone with strange amber lights, fell at the center of his brow like the gem at the center of Fabula's own circlet. "And lastly, the Will to Trust." This was the last thin gold rope, looped over Kiri's shoulders so that the stone that hung from it—a marbled turquoise with a cameo of two men who looked suspiciously like the sleep spirits Nallorn and Gaedrian adorning it—rested on his breast.

"Lay him down," Satoshi directed as Kiri slumped against Fabula, his eyes closed and his breathing now deep and steady. The Guide gathered him into her arms, then gently settled him into the sea of blue velvet.

Aura's head throbbed for a moment; as she made a face, she thought for one split second that she saw something glitter at Kiri's wrists and around the jewels laid over his forehead and chest.

Satoshi picked up Kiri's discarded coat and settled it over his body. It looked so absurdly like a father tucking in his child that Aura had to raise her eyebrow; Satoshi seemed to catch her stare, as he looked over his shoulder dispassionately at her. "It will take about a week for the Cage of Dreams to do its work, and Kiri cannot be disturbed through that time by _anything. _It gets quite cold down here, so it's best to do something to warm him now, before any problems arise."

Krad, who had remained silent up until now, glowered at the intruders. "Now, if all that is settled, I request that you _leave._ Immediately."

Satoshi shook his head in annoyance. "There isn't really more that you can do for him now. I'll be sure to let you know when he wakes up, since once the Cage of Dreams is through with him, he'll come out of the coma on his own. You'd best be finding an inn, since you seem to be tired and this storm is only likely to get worse tonight."

"My family runs an inn near here," Daisuke supplied with a smile. "Since Grampa will want to give you the third degree anyway, why don't you just stay around there?"

_"Please," _Aura said flatly, trying not to sound whiny. "Anything for a decent bed and a night's sleep. My head is _killing _me."

"Then, let's go." Daisuke headed for the stairs, careful not to get too close to the jumble of artwork that dominated the basement's space. "Satoshi… I'll see you around sometime."

And for the first time since Aura and the others had met him, Satoshi cracked something like a smile. "Yes… later."

But before she could stare too much, Aura shook herself and turned sharply around.

Because after all, there were still a _lot _of stairs to climb until she could get that night's sleep.

---

If anything, the vicious snows outside Satoshi's dark house were even worse than they'd been before.

"Is it _always _like this here?" Ai demanded, pitching her voice so it would carry above the wind and clutching her coat tightly around her.

"No," Daisuke yelled back. "This'll actually blow over sometime during the night. But we should hurry back to my family's inn so you guys can get some rest for now!" He waved the others over to him, then began to trudge through the cold, leading them along a series of streets.

Ai made a face and hurried after him, trying to step in his bootprints so as not to get her own any wetter than they already were. She _hated _having cold, soaked toes.

Finally, he stopped at the double doors of a large, well-lit building with its wooden sign flapping so viciously in the wind that Ai couldn't quite make out the picture on it. However, carved into the doorframe were the words "The Black Wings", which she guessed was this place's name.

"Come inside, you guys," Daisuke said as he opened the door. "Everyone's going to be so happy to see you're here. We haven't had customers in a _really _long time."

Well, he sure didn't have to tell anybody _that _twice. Everyone piled exhaustedly into the entrance hallway of the inn, pulling off snow-sodden coats, as Daisuke headed for the next set of doors.

Ai was just beginning to feel real warmth creeping into her extremities again when he pushed them open with a raucous creak and called out, "Hey, Mom! Dad! Grampa! We've got customers—"

The red-haired woman lounging at a desk on the far side of the room looked up and smiled, but before she or Daisuke could say anything more, a tall and rangy-looking young man with artfully tousled purple hair, red-gold eyes, and a calculated smirk ambled over to them.

"Jeez, you little idiot, think you could be any ruder? Letting a bunch of cute girls stand around like that while you go on and on…" Flashing what he obviously thought was a charming smile, he reached for the closest female hand he could grab, which happened to be Aura's. "Well, _hello, _beautiful—"

Aura gave him a jaundiced glare and drew one of her revolvers, shoving its muzzle point-blank into his face as she whipped her hand out of his. "Do. Not. _Touch. _Me," she informed him in a clipped snarl. "You got a hard-on that needs resolving, then go take care of it in some corner. I don't want to hear about it, so _fuck off,_ pretty boy."

He backed up a step. "So what's the matter? Somebody just a little touchy today?"

"I don't like idiotic, horny men who look at me like I'm just their piece of ass and nothing else," Aura snapped. "So go away, or eat lead."

The "idiotic, horny man" looked hopefully towards Lisa. Kaze, noticing, put a possessive hand on her shoulder and glowered, the look in his eyes promising a slow and painful death if anyone so much as said a word threatening his claim on her.

Grimacing, the purple-haired young man turned to Fabula, who smiled sweetly at him. "Come within three feet of me and I'll be forced to castrate and eviscerate you," she said cheerfully.

Finally, he looked down at Ai.

Not sure whether to be amused or offended, she crossed her arms and huffed. "Pervert."

Daisuke tugged at the man's sleeve, shaking his head. "Go find something _productive _to do, Casanova," he said with a sigh, and shoved him away.

"This _sucks," _the man complained, but went.

"I'm sorry about him," Daisuke told all of them, looking embarrassed. "Dark's like that whenever girls show up here. He's kind of a womanizer, but he's not a bad person, really."

"I'm _so_ sure." Aura rolled her eyes and slid her revolver back into its holster.

Through all this, the woman at the desk had gotten up and approached them. Finally coming up alongside Daisuke, she bobbed a polite bow towards her guests, and smiled. "Welcome to the Black Wings. My name is Emiko Niwa, and I'm Daisuke's mom." So saying, she tousled the boy's bright crimson fluff of hair as he laughed, embarrassed. "Our family runs this inn together, so besides the two of us, my husband Kosuke and my father, Daiki, will also be attending you for however long you decide to stay. What brings you here?"

"One of our companions is ill, and had to be taken here to the Hikari family for healing," Fabula explained. "So we'll be staying until we know he's ready to leave."

"Then, it's a little… ironic that you'd choose to stay with us," Emiko replied almost stiffly.

"Mom, don't be like that," Daisuke protested. "I was the one who took them to Satoshi's. The man they left with him is really, _really _sick, and it's not as if they would have any other choice. Besides, you can see that they aren't from around here. Let's not drag them into this."

Emiko rolled her eyes and shoved her son in the head. "You don't need to lecture your mother, Daisuke. I'm well aware of that." And she turned back to Ai and the others. "As for all of you—well, it's obvious that you've been outside in the snow for quite a while, so I think debating over payment for your stay can wait until tomorrow morning. We don't have any guests staying here now, so you can choose whatever rooms you like for tonight."

---

Lisa knocked gently on the solid oak of the door, then cautiously let herself into the room in which Kaze had decided to hole himself up.

He sat on the edge of his mattress, watching her as though he'd been expecting her all this time. The fireplace on the wall opposite the bed was smoldering low, providing both minimal light and warmth.

Without pretense, Lisa closed the door, then sat down beside him. "Kaze, I'm sure you're aware that I know how badly your arm was hurting you outside. If you don't mind, I'd like to take a look."

He nodded, sighed, and obediently stretched out his right arm for her.

Lisa's stomach lurched sickly as she saw that the darkness slowly inching its way across the Magun now took up roughly half of the metal. "…Oh, Kaze…"

"The cold burns," he said softly, hoarsely. "This arm aches… in the winds outside. In the snow… it's difficult to breathe, sometimes."

Biting her lip, Lisa held her fingertips at the summoning gun's sides, then lightly rested the first two fingers of her left hand on the soft inside of Kaze's elbow. "…Your pulse is a little erratic," she told him with a sigh. "As for the cold… I'm not sure what I'm supposed to tell you. It might be whatever barrier seems to be keeping the Heartless away that's hurting you, too."

"It's better… in here, with the fire." Kaze glanced in its direction. "…I've never liked the cold."

Lisa smiled wanly at him. "Neither have I. But then, I was born far to the south of this place, only a short distance from the tropics. When I came to Archaea, I always had trouble coping with winter." As Kaze shifted his arm back under his cloak, Lisa scooted closer to his side. "…I don't know what I should tell you. You've been summoning so much lately that not only is the darkness that's infected your heart spreading, it's spreading much faster than it did before. I think that as the darkness inside you grows, it makes it a lot more difficult for your body to be resistant to things like extreme temperatures and overworking yourself." Looking up at him, she shook her head. "Please, you've got to stop risking yourself like this."

Kaze bowed his head, reaching out to pull her close enough that his soft but unruly hair brushed her face. "I know it's dangerous," he whispered. "And… it does frighten me. But please… understand me when I say that no matter the cost, I will continue to fight for as long as I have to… so that I can protect the ones dearest to me."

Lisa sighed unhappily. "Somehow I thought you would say that." She traced a fingertip along his cheek as she looked into his eyes, and smiled sadly. "But then, I guess that's what I love about you."

She leaned in, kissed him sweetly, tucked safely into his arms, troubled but trusting against the warmth of his body. Each moment she lingered there felt to her like a lifetime of slowly being pulled under by the intoxication of her feelings for him, but she knew in her heart that she would always gladly stay there with him at least one lifetime more.

However, her slow and dreamy thoughts were interrupted as she felt the warmth of his hand on the side of her breast. Her breath hitched in surprise, and before she could do anything else, Kaze pulled back, looking down at her with a strange helplessness in his eyes.

"You're…?" he began slowly, a crease of concern slowly forming on his brow. "You're a virgin…"

It was wrong of her, she knew, but some deep part of Lisa rolled its eyes and whispered, _Oh boy, here we go. _"Yes," she told him patiently. "Yes, I'm a virgin, Kaze."

Pure masculine panic flickered through his eyes, and he drew back further. "I'm—sorry, then. I shouldn't… I shouldn't be pushing like this."

Lisa fought the urge to smile, and failed. "I'm a _healer, _Kaze," she reminded him, patting his hand (which he was nervously clenching and unclenching as it rested on his thigh, apparently not knowing what to do with it now). "And as such, I know and understand quite well what happens when a man and woman lie with one another. You don't have to worry about becoming sexually intimate with me in the future, because if it happens, I'll know what to expect."

"But…" Kaze looked evasively away, and Lisa was tickled to see him starting to blush. "The first time is… is important. It should be planned, should be… should be special… when there are… are feelings involved."

Or, in other words, for whatever reason, the idea that he might be her first was scaring Kaze half to death. Whether it was out of sexual inexperience or just the vague fear that he might hurt her, Lisa wasn't sure, but then, if Kaze wanted to tell her which it was, he would.

Lisa just smiled and shook her head at him. "Kaze, you don't need to worry about touching me. I don't mind it, and after a certain point, a woman comes to expect something like it. But you need your rest right now, and besides, it doesn't seem like either of us is fully ready for anything like intercourse. You're a sweet and very chivalrous individual, to worry so much for my sake." She leaned in and kissed his cheek, giving his hair a brief stroke. "Goodnight, Kaze. I'll see you tomorrow morning."

And with that, she calmly got up and left the room.

---

Ai woke up refreshed after her full night's sleep, got dressed, and headed back downstairs, which—thankfully—was every bit as warm as her own room, thanks to the large fireplace on the side of the wide chamber that seemed to be both restaurant and common room. Seeing Lisa and Fabula seated at one of the circular tables, she headed over to them and sat down in one of the empty chairs there.

"G'morning," she said, and stretched. "Where are Aura and Kaze-jisan?"

"Aura's not coming down today," Fabula replied. "Her headache from last night still hasn't gotten any better, so she'll probably want to avoid company. As for Kaze, Lisa tells me he's still sleeping. I doubt he'll want to leave this inn anyway, as he seems to hate the cold."

"Well, that sucks," Ai commented, and looked around. "So… where is everybody else?"

"Daisuke and his grandfather are out running errands," Lisa told her. "His parents are in the kitchen making breakfast, and their friend Dark is…" She waved a hand, and Ai noticed him stretched out and apparently sleeping on a nearby couch. "After breakfast, Fabula and I are going to need to talk to Emiko-san about paying for our stay… but since the snow has stopped, why don't you go look around and see what else there is around this town? Since we'll be staying until Kiri is ready to go, we might as well find out what we can do in the meantime. Just be back in time for lunch, alright?"

Ai shrugged. "I guess so. It'll be more entertaining than just sitting around here for the rest of the day, anyways…"

And so, after the extensive breakfast prepared for them by their hosts (Ai hadn't had any idea that you could stack pancakes that high without them falling over), Ai put her coat and boots back on and ventured outside.

Now that the storm had finally blown over, Ai realized that through the glittering cover of fresh snow, Fuyushin was a beautiful little village. It was a relief to see an inhabited town that wasn't covered in the dirt and depression of Lukahn, which mostly went untended due to the military focus of the Comodeen; and it was just as well that the streets didn't have the bright and cheery bustle of the busy town that had once lain within Garoh's guarded walls—it couldn't bring up any painful memories.

Rather, Fuyushin was a quiet place with a comfortable feel. There were few people out on the streets—Ai suspected that a lot of them stayed inside to avoid the cold—but those who _were _outside wore smiles, and stopped to exchange a few words when they passed each other. It had a homey feel, and actually reminded Ai quite a bit of the villages surrounding her home fiefdom when she had been little, before the Heartless began to appear in her country.

After turning in a slow circle to take stock of her surroundings, Ai started slowly forward, surrounded by the soft murmur of voices and the crunch of her boots on the snow.

Making sure to keep track of the way she had gone, she walked, then began to run through the streets. As she smiled at the brisk rush of cold air through her air and into her lungs, she took note of the buildings she passed: Brightly-lit bakeries and patisseries with tantalizing scents wafting from their open doors, outfitters with warm-looking coats hanging in the windows, smithies blazing red that smelled of smoke and solder, and even a greenhouse filled with plots of crops. (That, Ai suddenly realized, would be a necessity in this place, since it seemed to snow most of the time regardless of the way nearby areas were still temperate—with short growing seasons, it would be hard to get food otherwise.)

Each of the buildings had a few people in it; all were made of red and brown bricks with the dusting of snow along their rooftops, windows, and signs making them seem quaint and giving the place a storybook air. Ai bit back a laugh as she realized what this place looked like to her: It reminded her of a gingerbread town she and Yu had made with their parents when they were still little. The chefs in their castle had all been happy to help, and it had turned out a wonder straight out of a child's Yule dream: Rooftops glazed with icing, sugar-spun decorations in the brownie streets, and even gumdrop people. Every kid in the town had gotten a piece.

It was all so picturesque, so pretty… the perfect place to kick back and relax for a while. A vacation of sorts from their dangerous journey. As long as the Heartless couldn't come in, that was really what this whole thing was—a godsend, a piece of peace in their unstable world.

There just could not have been a better place for them to end up as they waited for Kiri to recover.

As Ai reached the intersection, she was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't see the other girl until they smacked straight into each other and went sprawling through the light coat of snow over the cobbled streets.

"Oww…" Groaning, Ai picked her face out of the slush. Her entire front was soaked. It just figured, she grumbled mentally. And it served her right for spacing out while she'd been running around.

"I'm sorry—" Ai looked over, and saw that the girl she'd run into was sitting up as well, laughing awkwardly. "How stupid of me. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. _I'm _sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

"It's no big deal." And, dusting herself off, the girl stood, then offered Ai a hand up.

"Thanks." Taking it, Ai got up and did the same.

Suddenly, the girl's face brightened. "Hey—you're new around here, aren't you? Wow! You've got to be one of the first visitors we've had in a _long _time. I'm Riku Harada, by the way."

Ai smiled back. "I'm Ai Hayakawa. And yeah, my friends and I just got here last night. We're staying at the Black Wings for a while."

"You mean you're staying with Daisuke's family?" Riku asked happily. "That's great! He's one of my best friends. That means we'll probably be seeing a lot of each other for however long you're here!"

Ai nodded, glad that she'd be able to hang out with people her own age again while she was in Fuyushin. Riku was about her height, maybe an inch or two taller, and had shiny brown hair cropped to just above her shoulders in a crisp bob. Her eyes were slightly darker than her hair, and were bright and clear. She had a heart-shaped face and a friendly smile, and Ai noticed that the bridge of her nose was almost undetectably crooked, as though it had been broken once when Riku was a lot younger. The outgoing brunette was clad in a scratched but still crisp leather hauberk, as well as sturdy-looking boots and tough, bulky gloves over her fleece vest (dyed sky-blue), white shirt, and dark blue pants. There was even a short sword in a worn sheath at her side.

"So… what's with all the armor?" Ai had to know.

Riku grinned. "I was just on my way to school."

"School?" Ai asked with a slight frown.

"Not _school, _school," Riku told her, waving a hand. "We're on vacation right now. But this is the school that really matters—to me, at least." And her smile widened. "You see… I'm training to become one of this town's knights."

---

Krad stood in the blackness, his hands in his pockets and a look of cold hatred on his cruelly beautiful features. He stared straight ahead of him, surrounded by his silent kin, feeling the chains that encircled some of them like a festering illness, the long-suffered restlessness of captivity crawling along his back like the fire of pain along whip wheals.

Humans. How he _hated _them.

The Hikari—he could live with them. Their existence was temporal, fleeting, and though they were his captors, they were the ones who birthed his kindred. They died so quickly, and so easily—victims of their own power, their own urge to create, to give life to their works until they themselves had none left. They would die out soon enough, and then he would have his freedom. He could wait for that, could bide his time in bitter service as he had through the long centuries.

But the others… he could tolerate their intrusion into this sacred realm no longer.

Satoshi, Krad reflected, was little better. The prostitution of the Cage of Dreams proved that much. The artwork sleeping here was born of the Hikari, and only served the Hikari—and its own kind. He might not be able to do anything about Satoshi, at least not yet, but as long as it was in his power…

Krad's piercing glare lit the darkness as he stared hatefully at the comatose Mystarian who lay sheltered in the cradle of the alabaster coffin's magic.

Little by little—slowly—with the same inexorable patience Krad had exercised throughout the years as he waited for the deaths of his creators, he would act.

And none would dare to take advantage of the dormant powers here again.

(TBC)


	29. The Cage of Dreams, part 2

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

**I've been having these weird thoughts lately…**

**Like is any of this for real or not?**

Somewhere within himself, Kiri wondered when his aimless drifting had become a fall.

He had lain still, wrapped in deep and dreamless warmth, until suddenly the bottom had dropped out from under him and off his consciousness had gone. He wasn't entirely sure what this was, though, or why it was happening—or even if it was real. He felt hazy, as though if he were upright he would be standing astride the clearly marked line between dreams and wakefulness.

He felt—truly _felt_—the gentle wind tumbling through his hair, teasing his clothes, as he fell. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open his eyes and could barely even move his fingertips.

Was he dying? Was this what death was like? If that was the case—then Kiri thought it wasn't so bad. There were worse things in the world than to drift and drift in perfect peace and never land.

A jolt—or a pulse—seized his heart, and ripped at it, and he opened his eyes with a gasp.

He didn't know where he was. He had been half-aware of the things he'd seen before he'd went to sleep—snow, and darkness, and a staircase—_but he had no idea where this was. _As Kiri looked around wildly, he saw that there was a thick forest behind him, dominated by impressively large oaks and aspens, and pines with needles so dark they seemed almost blue. He was past its strangely defined border, on bald ground, which—he saw as he turned a bit to his left—dropped away in a bowl-like cliff only a few yards behind him, to more forest, crystalline lakes, and an immense and awesomely angry storm-torn sky.

His heart in his throat and adrenaline screaming through his blood, Kiri turned.

And almost crumpled straight to the ground at what he saw there.

A slender tongue of land extended over the wide pocket of water, earth, and forest in the cliff's craterlike bowl, looking almost like a crooked, beckoning finger—and at its lip stood Kumo.

Kiri let out a strangled cry and knew it would do him absolutely no good—Kumo had no heart, and as he stood there with those heartbreakingly lovely wings, in that flimsy sheath of yellow and spring green even he damn well had to have been _poured _into, he wouldn't understand his beloved's words.

But after a pause that felt like centuries, Kumo turned to face him, the listless sway of his body like the slow first step of a waltz. Kiri's heart shuddered and squeezed in pain within his chest as Kumo's blank blue eyes met his, as the two of them were connected by that dispassionate and uncomprehending stare.

Hot tears built behind his eyes, but none fell.

Before Kiri could move or speak or even think, the ground shuddered beneath him, and groaned, and _tilted, _so that he was suddenly struggling for purchase on a nearly vertical incline. Kumo, unable to struggle, simply fell. Their bodies hit in a bone-wrenching shock; Kiri screamed out an oath and wrapped his arms firmly around Kumo's frail shoulders and waist. Gathering his brother to him, and feeling his toes starting to slip against the unyielding dirt, Kiri gritted his teeth and hung on, stubbornly refusing to fall. The delicate, butterfly's-wing flutter of Kumo's breath at his shoulder was enough to decide it for him.

He couldn't—_wouldn't_—let his beloved down like this.

Just as suddenly, the earth groaned again and righted itself—but even more shockingly, Kiri felt Kumo's fingertips move against his back—then clench desperately in the fabric of his cape—and then those limp arms suddenly found a viselike grip around Kiri's body.

Unwilling even to breathe, Kiri took hold of Kumo's shoulders and brought them a few inches apart. Kumo was trembling, staring desperately into his brother's face… and his eyes were beautifully, miraculously green.

Kiri let out a wild cry and clutched Kumo desperately to him as his beloved began to sob. The tears were back—and spilling freely—but Kiri paid them no mind. He just held on as tightly as he could, until they had to pull apart for want of air. Kumo was smiling—even laughing—as he cried; Kiri whispered endearments in the ancient language of their people, the heart's language, and caressed his brother's face. And then, in a rush, they were clinging tightly to each other once more, and kissing desperately.

Reality and dreams hazed and faded. They were of no importance. This was Kumo here with him, the real Kumo—his angel's face, his silken-soft lips, the lovely hands that had twined into Kiri's long hair in naked need—and _nothing else mattered._

Kiri's entire body thrilled to the beat of their hearts and gave himself over to his desire, to the fierce joy of simply holding Kumo safe and sound. His beloved's eyes were as hazy and intoxicating as liquid morphine, and his kisses were like heaven.

Kiri shuddered and moaned into Kumo's lips. He wanted sex; he wanted to lie with Kumo in a soft bed and sleep entwined with him through an entire day; he wanted—to somehow wrap all the love and security in the world up and put it in a box so he could place it in Kumo's hands. He wanted this moment to go on forever.

Kumo sighed and settled into Kiri's embrace with a smile, leaning his cheek against Kiri's broad but sloped shoulder. Kiri smiled back and stroked his brother's soft hair, rocking him gently where they stood.

But when he looked up, at the rest of the world around them—

Kiri cried out, and as Kumo jolted in his arms, confused and alarmed, he shoved his brother behind him, staring horrorstruck into the sky. Kumo saw it too, and clung close to Kiri's back, taking what solace he could from being shielded.

It was—impossible. But it was happening.

Kiri felt for a moment his consciousness split into two, come together, and then split again as he watched _himself _falling from the sky, unresisting and more than half asleep, unconcerned despite the speed of descent. He knew he should get out of the way, hurry with Kumo and escape this strange paradox, but he was rooted to the ground and couldn't move.

Impact—the two halves of Kiri's body fused into one, and the world burst into liquid, yielding and transparent. Kumo grabbed onto his hand and tried to pull, panicked, but their fingers slipped apart and as Kumo knelt down slamming his fists into the transparent wall that separated them and crying out Kiri's name, down he went, until everything went dark blue and then black.

Kiri struggled against oblivion all the way. He couldn't move—but he could fight this. He would be damned if he would just let this—this whatever-it-was—just happen to him without resisting it a little.

But suddenly, whatever kept him still eased enough for him to right himself, and his feet hit something solid.

Staring around, Kiri still couldn't see anything—but as he took one step, the blackness beneath him fractured and peeled away like flakes of a shed skin, flying away into the darkness with the form of pure white birds.

Kiri watched the doves depart in wonder, even as one shed feather drifted down and teased his cheek before blowing off into the void.

Shaking himself, Kiri squinted and then looked around, down at the bright light beneath him.

As his eyes adjusted, he found himself staring at… at…

…at the huge and circular stained-glass image of a strange but familiar woman in white…

---

"You're really good at this, Ai!"

Wiping sweat off her forehead, Ai let go of her bowstring and turned to Riku, grinning. "Heh… you really think so?"

The brunette burst out laughing and pointed down at the target, which displayed the ten or so arrows Ai had just shot clustered at the palm-sized red dot of its center. "You've got to be kidding me! Don't get all modest—you're really awesome. I think you're probably a better shot than everyone else here, maybe even some of the teachers too!"

Now Ai really _did _blush. "Now I _know _you're making fun of me. I'm good—but not that good."

Riku just stuck her tongue out at her friend. "If you say so. Still, you're the best shot out of anyone our age I've ever met."

Ai waved a hand, embarrassed. "Oh, please."

Riku just laughed; Ai let her. Even though it had only been two days since they'd first met, to Ai it already seemed like she'd known Riku for a long time. It was just a tiny bit unbelievable how fast they'd clicked—but then again, it was also unbelievable how much they had in common.

They were both fourteen years old and more interested in perfecting their martial skills than in makeup, guys, and dating, as most other girls their age were. They were both open and friendly people who had wasted no time in getting to know each other. And they were even both twins, which amused Riku to no end (her twin sister Risa, she'd told Ai, was currently at a Church of Angelus to the south, studying to be a cleric).

Ai had soon found herself invited to the school where Riku was training, and met the rest of her class (who were mostly guys, to both of their disappointment). Riku had explained that she, like all the others here, had been taking lessons since her twelfth birthday—apparently this place didn't accept students any younger than that. Once they graduated at age eighteen, they would join the ranks of the rest of the city's guard or become one of their captains—the knights.

In Ai's opinion, this school gave a pretty interesting education. Students were taught in the use of different kinds of swords, pole arms, knives, and any other close combat weapon they chose, and were also expected to learn archery, basic tactics, and how to work the really _big _stuff like ballista, cannons, and catapults. If more towns and villages had had places like this, maybe more people would've been able to stand up and do something when the Heartless had come, for instance… and it would also help the minor villages on fiefdoms to defend against ordinary stuff like bandits, which would keep the main castles from having to send _their _knights to play baby-sitter. It made too much sense not to be set up everywhere it could.

When things finally got back to normal, Ai would make certain her dad decided to make one back home—that was for sure.

"So when did you start learning to use a bow, anyway?"

Ai shrugged. "I was about ten or so."

Riku groaned and flopped onto her back. "I _knew _it. That's why you're so good—you have a huge head start on everybody else here! I'm jealous." And she giggled. "I can't shoot worth beans. I can hardly even bend the bow."

Ai snorted. "You wave a big hunk of metal around so much, though!"

Riku stuck her tongue out again. "Maybe so, but I can't _pull _and _hold _like you have to with a bow." And she kicked her feet in the air. "Besides, you can't use a sword anyway."

"I just never wanted to learn how," Ai retorted with a huff.

"Well, _that's _good, 'cause if you were nearly as good with one as you are with that bow, the rest of us would be out of a job," Riku teased, and rolled over. "Seriously, though… why did you decide on the _bow? _It seems like a lot of hassle to go through."

Ai shrugged, and smiled. "Well… part of it was, I just wanted to be good at something other than sitting around and being _presentable, _like any good noble girl should be. Besides, there was no way I was going to be a diplomat like Mom and Dad—Yu was always the one who could read people, not me. And then when I was eight, this man came through town…

"He was a traveler from another country, that much I knew. But I wasn't very interested until he decided to take place in a tournament that was going around. He was an archer—the first really _good _archer I'd ever seen. He hit the target dead center every single time he shot, and I remember that at the end of the competition, they had to cut the arrowheads out of the target with a knife.

"I just kept thinking, _wow, _I want to be like that someday. I want to be so good at something that I can amaze people. And I started watching when the castle archers trained. Then for my next birthday, my parents gave me my own bow and said I could start learning myself once I was old enough."

"That's really cool," Riku said, and sat up. "Nothing really inspired me too much to come here. I just wanted to be strong so that I could make bullies stop picking on my sister so _she _would stop being such an idiot about it."

"Well, that's not a bad reason to learn to fight either," Ai told her, and they both laughed. "I've never seen Daisuke here, though. It's kind of weird. I mean, he's not an artist or a mage or whatever Satoshi is—so why doesn't he come here and get his own training? I'm sure there's somebody _he _wants to take care of."

"Well…" Riku just shook her head at that. "Daisuke… can't become part of the guard, since he's going to be joining his family's business."

"You mean… he's going to be an innkeeper?" Ai tried to picture it, and failed. "Maybe the innkeeper's _gofer. _But an actual _innkeeper? _No way."

"Yes and no," was Riku's cryptic reply. "I'll tell you more about it later. I have to get back to drills or else my teacher's gonna get mad at me."

And, leaving Ai sitting puzzled on the sidelines, she got up and headed back towards the other students in her group.

---

**So little time, and so much to do…  
Where to begin…?**

Kiri shivered a little as the words echoed through him. He didn't immediately recognize the speaker, but the voice felt so _familiar _to him that he almost didn't care. It was strange… he didn't even really hear the words with his ears—rather, they seemed to issue forth from somewhere deep within his own heart.

Slowly and carefully, he looked around. Except for the steady glow of the stained glass beneath his feet, the entire place was pitch black—he couldn't tell where he was, or where its walls… if it had walls… ended. Glancing up, he saw a second glow of light—a circle of stained glass, high above him, emblazoned with a beautiful blue flower-like pattern (what _did _they call those? Rosettes? He couldn't remember) and shining tantalizingly above, making Kiri feel dizzy.

_Did I… did I fall through _there? The thought made Kiri's stomach clench uneasily. The panel looked solid enough now. It was all too possible that it was a one-way portal, or whatever… he could be stuck down here for all he knew.

**All journeys begin with a single step.**

This time, Kiri jerked fearfully, determined to find the source of the voice. His breathing quickened, and he felt his palms go slick even as a chill crossed his back.

**Do not be afraid.**

The voice was filled with compassion now, as if it sensed Kiri's panic.

**All it takes is one step. Move forward, Kiri Madoushi—do it of your own free will.**

Kiri bit his lip, steadied himself, and slowly walked to the center of the stained-glass dais, looking up like an uncertain child waiting for either approval or a reprimand.

No words followed his actions, but a deep well of supportive warmth flooded his body, taking him by surprise. There was a kind of love here—but more than that, comfort and reassurance. It felt—almost like being held by a loved one, and it touched something deep inside Kiri that he thought had long since gone cold.

Spirals of colored light rose from the stained glass, forming three pedestals—and upon each rested a battered weapon. Kiri stared uncertainly for a moment, then headed to the middle one.

There was a shield on it—old, and covered in the dents and marks of impacts it had deflected. But its reversed side was padded in leather that was still tough, and the brace that would attach it to your arm looked sturdy. This was a dependable piece of armor, Kiri judged—and probably one you could actually use to hit the bad guy upside the head when he wasn't looking, too.

**The shield of patience… honor, friendship, and trust lie within it.  
****Though it may be old, as long as its wearer has faith in it and his companions, it will never fail.**

Kiri listened to the words, then set the shield back down and went to investigate the pedestal to his right, on which rested a long, metallic rod with a spherical, dark blue crystal at its head. There was the faintest crackle of magical energy inside that crystal; Kiri guessed that this had been owned by some powerful spellcaster once, no matter how plain it might seem now. When he picked it up, it was cold in his hands, and something inside him recognized this staff as a _very _old artifact.

**This is the staff of ruin.**

There was an irony in the voice that piqued Kiri's curiosity. "What… do you mean?"

**Knowledge, and the need for it… the truth so cold and clear that it cuts…**  
**This is the road down which very few have the heart to travel, for they fear to know what lies at its end.**

Kiri set the rod back down and rubbed his arms to soothe the uneasy prickle there. What lay at the end of the road _he _chose to travel…?

He shook his head. It would be better not to wonder, he decided. On the other side of _that _question lay madness. So instead, he went to the last of the pedestals, upon which rested a sword.

Its metal had a strange golden sheen, and it was clearly ancient, with little hairline cracks along the edges. But when Kiri tested it against the pad of his thumb, a line of blood welled up there without him even feeling the cut. Kiri thought he felt the sword's hilt hum slightly in his hand as if in anticipation, then discarded the notion as the voice spoke again.

**This is the sword of destruction.**

_Go figure. _Swords were meant to kill—that was something Kiri and every other Mystarian swordsman knew, despite the fact that fighting was an art in their homeland. But he stayed silent, and listened.

**This blade is the chariot of war; its steel is the kiss of death.  
****None living or dead can escape the power it holds.**

Despite the words of the voice, the sword felt comfortable in Kiri's hands. It was of similar size and balance to his Maken—which was absent from his belt, as were his Mist bottles—and although it didn't ooze love and support as his own blade did, it had a certain… eagerness to please, as if it was the kid who always got picked last for tag, and now that it was in someone's hands was anxious to show what it could do.

**You must choose one to take with you, one to leave behind, and one to discard completely.**

Kiri swung the sword a little. It felt right in his hands, even if it wasn't as familiar to him as his Maken, and he couldn't help but be charmed by the puppyish feeling he got from it.

Back when he was a child in Mystaria, Kiri had taken great pride in his parents and their families. His mother's parents had died before he was born, but he had been able to meet his father's father once, and he would never forget that day.

Kon Kageshi was one of the best swordsmen in all of Mystaria, but while his mother had been a warrior like him, his father was an accomplished smith who enjoyed bringing swords into the world instead of into battle. The only time he had ever come to visit, he had brought his tools along with him, as well as several old, broken, or ownerless swords which had completely fascinated his grandson. Kiri had picked each up and could tell a little bit about them—some were happy, some tired, some still aching for a fight or to be held in the hands of their long-departed masters.

"This boy," his grandfather had told his parents, "is going to become a swordsman or a smith when he grows up. He knows swords—and he can _feel _them. He's got the love—and they respond to that. You mark my words, he'll be a great man one day."

Kiri had proven himself to be an utter disaster at the forge, but swordsmanship was his passion, and the only thing he loved more than it was Kumo. And no matter what warnings came with this sword, he _knew _in his heart that it was a weapon he could trust.

"I'll take this," he said aloud, as if it hadn't been decided from the second he'd picked it up. He turned to the other two pedestals, considered his options for a moment, and then headed to the shield. "And I don't need this."

**Are you certain?**

"I don't feel comfortable hiding behind anything," Kiri said with a sigh. "If I have to defend myself, I'll defend myself with my sword. And if I can't handle the job myself… then so be it. I don't matter, anyway. Saving Kumo is more important than I am. And besides…"

**Besides?**

"Well… if I can't count on me to defend myself, there's always my friends. I protect them with my sword, and so I know that if I need them to help me, I can count on them to take care of me when I can't."

There was a brief silence, and then the shield dissolved into silvery dust as the outlines of something tall and rectangular shimmered at the edge of the dais.

It was a door, Kiri noted as it solidified.

He took a deep breath, and as his heart began pound, he walked past the pedestals with the sword in hand, opened it, and stepped through.

---

"Hey."

Aura sat up with a grimace, casting a jaundiced eye over her intruding friend. "Give it," she demanded, pointing to the mugs of mulled cider in Fabula's hands.

Laughing, Fabula pulled up a chair, sat, and handed Aura one. "Here. I take it that you're still not feeling any better?"

Aura made a face, then drank. "The hell do _you _think?" she asked dryly, flicking her hair over her shoulders. "I'm not going to so much as poke my nose outside; cold weather just makes headaches worse. I'll stay in here where it's nice and warm and _dark, _thanks—that snow is so bright it hurts my eyes."

Fabula shrugged. "According to Lisa, you don't really seem to be sick," she related. "In my opinion, it seems more like you're having some kind of allergic reaction to the magic that's protecting this town. You'll probably get better when we leave… though, if you like, you can go back to Lukahn to stay with the Comodeen until Kiri wakes. No one would think any less of you for it."

Aura groaned, set her mug down, and rolled over. "Thanks, but unless I suddenly start breaking out in hives, I think I can deal with it. After all… anything for our fearless leader."

"So long as you know the option is open," Fabula told her, then smiled. "You certainly are warming up to Kiri these days."

"It's just too weird having him as a dependent," Aura said, making a face. "Sure, he's a pain in the ass most of the time, but seeing him after what that bitch did to him… well, hell,_ nobody_ deserves that. I've never seen a man look that fragile before, and I don't think I ever want to again. It's a little creepy, knowing that she hurt him so badly that he had to shut down just to stay sane. Part of me is just mad at him for not letting anybody else in on his suffering, but… really, I just want him to get better so that I can yell at him for causing us all so much trouble."

In other words, she was genuinely worried for Kiri's sake, Fabula translated, touched. "Taking on too much to handle alone seems to run in Kiri's family. His parents and Kumo can be just like that, too… although, Kumo is a little more like Lisa in that whenever something's wrong, he'll only smile and tell you not to worry. It's easy to tell that he's lying, even so, but…" She shook her head. "Anyway, as long as you can hold out for the next half week or so, you should be fine. I'm just relieved that Kiri is getting the help he needs. He's stubborn and a little too sensitive for his own sake, but he's a good child."

"Huh." A strange expression crossed Aura's face. "He would be that to you, wouldn't he? After all, even if none of us really think about it, the age difference between you and the rest of us means that you're a lot older, wiser, and more experienced than anyone else in our group." Sitting up, Aura propped her face in her hand and gave Fabula a sidelong, considering look. "Is that the way you look at the rest of us, too?"

"Not at all," Fabula replied, confused. "I watched Kiri grow up—he's like a brother or a son to me, the same as Kumo. I didn't meet any of the rest of you until we joined forces at Sephira. I've only known all of you as adults—except for Ai, of course. And… you're a lot more mature than Kiri is. He's a good boy, but he's lived his life so sheltered that he's hopelessly idealistic and naïve. You, on the other hand, have enough experience with the world that you and I can understand each other on the same level. …You're my friend, and I'm hardly an ageist, anyway. Thousands of years may stand in between our ages, but that won't get in the way of our relationship unless we let it."

"I see." Aura continued to watch her with a pensive expression for a few moments, then made a face and flopped into the bedclothes. "…Gah. My head hurts…"

Fabula smiled wryly. "I should leave you to your rest, then. I'll come back up with food later, alright?" And she excused herself from her friend's room, closing the door behind her and shaking her head as she thought to herself, _Now what was _that _all about?_

---

Kiri blinked and looked around, absolutely puzzled.

He'd walked through that strange door and gone from the strange, almost-familiar realm of darkness and stained glass to one of the mostly-ruined buildings of Mystaria at midday.

He recognized it immediately, of course—this was one of the places where he and Kumo had played as children, and it was popular with all the kids he'd known. In fact, it was a little bit odd not to see anyone around here—

But he'd spoken—or, well, thought—too soon. There _were _other people here. People he recognized…

**Search your heart, and answer truthfully.**

That voice again. Kiri made a face and looked around, then took a few steps forward.

It wasn't long until he noticed the _other _thing that was strange here. Buildings looked bigger, newer than he remembered. As he raised an arm to keep his hair out of his face in a gust of wind, it sunk in—it wasn't that the place was bigger, it was that here, in this… whatever this was… he was a child again. His hair was far shorter, and he was wearing the novice's version of his swordsman's reds—there was only one stripe on the sleeve instead of two, as there were on a graduate's.

Maybe it wasn't really any wonder, then, that the only souls around were his three childhood friends—Kuroi Hoshi, Haiiro Arashi, and Aoi Ame.

Ame was nearest to him—sitting on one of the ruined spirals of stairs—so he headed over to her first. Before he could say anything or ask if she knew what was going on, she leaned forward and spoke.

"What is it you want out of life?"

The serious question in Ame's childish tones was bizarre, but that voice had told Kiri to answer honestly. And, well… what reason was there not to?

"I want…" He hesitated, thought about it. "I want to become strong."

"Why?"

"Because… in my life, there are things I want to protect." Kumo's face flashed automatically into his mind's eye, a painful reminder. "Things that _need _protection. And I want to know that they're safe, and that it's the work of my own two hands."

"Becoming strong…" Ame repeated, cocking her head and smiling. "Is that really so satisfying?"

Puzzled and annoyed and a little bit doubtful, Kiri looked down, unable to hold her gaze. When he peered up again, she was gone.

Well, he'd known that this wasn't real from the start, but… it still made him feel a little bit cold. With a shiver, he half-walked, half-ran towards Arashi, who was standing in the middle of the plaza where cloud gave way to stone, staring up at the sky.

"What are you afraid of?" she asked, not even looking at him.

Well, _that _was an easy question to answer. "…_Losing." _The word even tasted bitter as Kiri spat it out, wrinkling his nose a little in disgust.

"Why?"

"Because it's failing. I hate failing. It means I'm not good enough, and I hate feeling helpless more than _anything." _He shuddered a little as he said it. He'd felt like that far too much lately.

"Losing…" Arashi repeated slowly, then turned to face him at last, her hazel eyes impassive and uncompromising. "Is that really so frightening?"

Kiri blinked. In the space of milliseconds his eyes were closed, she vanished.

The only one left was Hoshi, leaning against the side of a building and watching Kiri out of his clouded cerulean eyes.

Before Kiri had even gotten all the way over to him, Hoshi was already straightening up and beginning to speak. "What is most important to you?"

Kiri was speechless for a moment at the sheer _stupidity _of that question. When he'd regained himself, he answered. "Kumo, of course."

"…Really?" Hoshi asked, cocking his head slightly and giving Kiri his best piercing stare.

Feeling his hackles rise, Kiri glowered at the black-haired boy. _"Yes. _I love him!"

Hoshi smiled a little, and vanished into a soft burst of light. Kiri pulled back, his heart giving an unwelcome jolt in his chest.

A faint tingle ran from the nape of his neck to the small of his back, and he turned to see that another door was slowly beginning to materialize at the top of the shattered staircase where Ame had been.

**You want to become strong. You fear losing. The one you love is most important to you.  
**…**Is this correct?**

"Yes," Kiri replied, frowning, a bit unnerved. He didn't like having his responses questioned like this.

**Then, you may proceed.**

The door solidified. As the prickling feeling in his back grew, Kiri bolted for it.

He could see the sky darkening in the corner of his eyes. Although he wouldn't have admitted it out loud, he was afraid to look back.

---

Ai wasn't sure what awakened her that night—a feeling, or some kind of sound, or just the inner sense that everyone seemed to possess at some point in their life.

It was night, and the moon had risen large and full over Fuyushin. Aside from the stars, everything was dark outside, and it wasn't snowing again. Still, Ai couldn't help but have a feeling like something somewhere was very, very wrong—

And then, there was a sharp, ugly sound she'd come to know very well over the past few months—the blunt, ringing clash of steel on steel.

Her heart racing, Ai struggled into clothes, overcoat, and scarf, and grabbed her longbow and quiver, clattering out of her room and down the stairs. She burst out into the open air, gasping, and looked around; soon she saw the two silhouettes of two figures locked in a vicious battle on one of the rooftops.

Both of the figures had wings.

"Wh-what's going on…?" Ai wondered aloud.

"So… it woke you up, huh?"

Ai whirled, shocked: That was Riku's voice. The knight-in-training was leaning against the inn's wall, a sad, resigned-looking expression on her face.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" Ai panted. "And… do you know anything about that? Why are people fighting in _this _place? Who are they? What in the world is happening here?!"

"…………" Riku looked up at the silent combatants, then back at Ai. "This… is the darker side of Fuyushin… the interfamilial war that's been going on for the past several hundred years."

"…………" Ai turned back towards the fighters. Both of them looked… _familiar _somehow.

"You've met both the Niwa and Hikari families. And you probably met Krad when you left your friend with Satoshi, right?" Ai nodded; Riku pointed up. "That's Krad up there. And the other one is Daisuke."

_"What?" _Ai _stared. _Was this why Krad hated Daisuke so much? But Daisuke had been so polite to Satoshi and Krad at Satoshi's house… Why were they fighting anyway?

"The Hikari clan is a family of artists with special powers. The Niwa clan is a family of thieves who have always stolen Hikari works. Even though the Hikaris can create art that lives, none of them can actually defend themselves. So, Satoshi can't do much other than continue to make things, while Krad fights to keep the Hikari artwork safe.

"But one night every week or so, the current Niwa thief fuses bodies with Dark, and they steal something. Every Niwa in history, back since the conflict started, did it. Daisuke's grandfather did it, and then his mother, and now that's him out there."

"But… _why?" _Ai asked, confounded. _Daisuke, _an art thief?

"That's something only the Niwa family really knows," Riku answered sadly. "But I think that in a way, the Niwas can't _exist _without stealing. Daisuke is different. He's an artist too, but… it's a tradition."

"Wait, wait…" Ai shook her head. "He… does this with _Dark, _right? But if his mom and his grandpa and other people… how old _is _Dark?"

"Nobody knows. Dark and Krad aren't human," Riku went on. "They're each half of a piece of art that the Hikaris made. I think Dark is the first thing the Niwas ever stole from them. And I don't know why he always helps the Niwa family if that's true. All I know is that this cycle of the art being made and stolen has been happening since long before I've been born. That it's… something that they say can't be changed, like the snow that engulfs this town. All I know is… that even though it isn't fair and it isn't right, even the people who want to change it can't."

"…………" Ai looked from Riku to Krad and Daisuke, then back. "Why are you out here, if you say nobody can change it, then…?"

Riku turned to her friend with a bitter expression. "Because… I'm really worried about Daisuke doing this," she burst out. "He hates stealing, but he has to, and the longer this goes on, the more Krad hates humans… and I just don't want anyone to get hurt!"

"…Riku…" So that was it. Riku and Daisuke…

"I don't understand why _you _would come out here, though," Riku said, staring at her. "Normal people can't sense the magic of the Hikari art at all."

Ai looked down at the snow. "…I don't know. I just had a really bad feeling, and then…" Her voice trailed off as she realized what Riku had said: Although she didn't have powers like Kiri or Fabula did, Ai was _not _a normal person, not in the least.

The only reason she'd come with everyone this far was to be bait, to attract the Heartless. So… that was kind of a dangerous thing for her to forget.

"Ai…?"

"…I don't know. I just woke up all of a sudden, and I guess I heard the noise, so I came out here," she settled on. It wasn't _that _far from the truth, anyway.

Even with Riku, it would be better not to say. After all, you couldn't take back words once you'd said them, and it was too easy to regret giving up the reason why horribly evil people were after you.

---

When Kiri opened his eyes, he was back in the darkness again, on a curved stairwell leading down to another wide, stained-glass circle. In the middle of it was a table, with a line of small things on it.

As he got closer (he was back to his normal age again here, at least…), Kiri realized what they were: Cards, a little bit longer than the ordinary decks you played games and such with. A stacked deck was sitting in the middle of the table, and six of them lay in a straight line. Their backs were dark blue, littered with gold stars, and there was a rune written in each of the corners that told Kiri what exactly they were: Tarot cards.

"Uh, I don't know how to read fortunes," Kiri said aloud, feeling a little silly as he looked up to address the voice, wherever it came from, and pointing to them.

**A definition will be given to you for each. You must interpret them for yourself. Start with the card furthest to your left.**

Kiri shrugged and turned the first one over. "The Chariot," he read. The picture portrayed a fair-haired young man driving a pair of sphinxes instead of horses, a sword in his free hand.

**This card represents you, the questioner. It symbolizes conquest, aid in times of need, and victory in battle through strength of will.**

Not particularly knowing what to think yet, Kiri reached for the next card. Victory through strength of will, huh? He liked the sound of that, and supposed it suited him. But when he turned the next one over, he was greeted by the unwelcome sight of a hooded figure with a scythe, standing amidst crowned skeletons. It was upside-down. "Death," he murmured, making a face.

**You are crossed by Death reversed. Reversed, Death represents defeat, apathy, a loss of faith or a change for the worse, or inertia. It is the card which influences you directly at the moment.**

Nausea seized Kiri's insides as blurred memories of what Kara had done surfaced in his mind. He tried to clear it with a shake, thinking rather of how he'd been for the past several days. Inertia. Only two cards into this thing, and already this fortune was making all too much sense.

Wanting to get it on with before he had to think too much about it all, Kiri flipped over the next card. This one was a lot more peaceful-looking than the others, with blue-white hands holding a golden chalice in the air. Water spilled over the rim of the goblet, and along its sides, Kiri saw runes representing peace, plenty, and good fortune.

**You are crowned by the Ace of Cups. This card is a representation of the truth that lies in your heart. It also signifies blessings and happiness. It foretells your eventual destiny.**

Kiri's pulse quickened as he looked at the card. A happy destiny… and a truth that lay in his heart? Painful hope wrenched his heart, and to stifle it, he turned over the fourth card. It showed an old man in blue robes walking down a winding road, a lantern in his hand.

**Behind you is the Hermit. It represents a journey or a revelation, but also inevitability. This card is only a reflection of the past events that brought you to this place.**

Kiri wasn't sure he understood that one completely. He turned over the fifth card, then let go of it quickly, taking an involuntary step back from the table.

"Ugh…"

The image it depicted was a particularly gruesome one—a corpse lay in a dark room in a pool of its own blood, ten swords through its back.

**Beneath you is the Ten of Swords. This card represents suffering and trauma. It, too, is a reflection of the past… specifically, your recent past.**

Well, Kiri definitely did not need _that _one clarified. Making a face, he turned over the last card, which displayed a shining figure with its hands upraised standing in a graveyard, and dead people rising from the ground.

**Before you is Judgment. It signifies trial and decision, the end of doubts and the answer to questions. It is also a final battle. This is what lies ahead.**

"What lies ahead…" Kiri repeated. He sighed and looked at the cards. "So… let me get this straight here. Uh…

"I guess what this is implying is that because of the choices I made or even the fact that I started out on this journey in the first place, what… happened to me was inevitable? It's pretty obvious what it says about me being in a state of inertia, but… it also seems to say that the end of all this is near, that I'll be able to save Kumo maybe, but that before that I have to be… judged or tested or something? Is that right?"

The voice did not answer right away, but instead, a second stairway came into being on the opposite side of the circle, eventually ending with the appearance of yet another door.

**The future is something only you can create.**

Thoroughly confused, Kiri headed for the door. This… weird place, wherever it was, just kept getting stranger by the moment.

…Creepier, too.

---

Sitting down at one of the inn's tables, Lisa looked around and sighed. Kaze was nowhere to be found, _again. _It looked like he was actually avoiding her now.

Well, this was just wonderful. She knew that he was actually polite and quite shy around women, but for heaven's sake, you'd think a man's surprise at his girlfriend's sexual inexperience would subside after the first day or so. This was certainly troublesome.

…And, okay, maybe a _little _bit annoying.

"Did something happen between you and Kaze-jisan?" Ai had wanted to know the day before. Lisa hadn't really known what to say, so she'd given the girl one of her non-answer nervous laughs, which had sent Ai out the door sulking. Fabula's knowing smile was a little bit harder to deal with. At least the Guide wasn't particularly inclined to make fun.

As for Aura, it was a good thing that the girl had been spending most of her time upstairs, away from all the bustle that would make her reaction to the protective magic here any worse. Heaven only knew what _her _reaction would be, knowing that Lisa had scared her precious brother so…

"And just what are _you _sulking about, Pacifist?"

Urk.

"I-I thought you were upstairs resting?" Lisa managed, badly startled.

"Yeah, well, I got hungry," Aura replied, sitting in the chair opposite Lisa.

There was a moment of long, awkward silence.

"Have you—"

"I was wondering—"

Both of them fell silent. Lisa blushed and looked down.

"Um, you go ahead," she said nervously. _Now _what?

"I was going to say, it seems like you've given Kaze-niisan a rather nasty shock," Aura drawled. "I don't think I've seen him _this _reclusive in a nice long while."

_Here it comes. _Lisa wanted to sink into the floor. If only Kigenjutsu allowed one to do such a thing, she would in a heartbeat.

"Well, his chivalry can be a pain in the ass, but bear with him. He's a moron, but he'll figure it out… eventually. You just have to know when to poke him to get him to do what you want him to."

"E-excuse me?" Lisa blinked up at Aura. She'd been certain that she was about to get chewed out… what was this, all of a sudden?

Aura gave her a slanted look over the table. "Well, there's no changing his mind if he's decided he has feelings for you, but he's far from the type who'll be shoving you into closets or anything despite any amount of sexual frustration he's under. So, since you seem to have set him off, I am willing to get you in the right direction this once. This might end up being good for him, after all."

Lisa didn't know quite what to say to that. Apparently, this was Aura's way of letting her know that some limited approval was being given for her and Kaze's relationship (such as it was)…?

"Ask questions," Aura snapped with a wave of her hand. "After breakfast, I am going back to _bed, _and anyone who bothers me is going to lose limbs."

"Um…" Lisa hesitated for a moment, and blushed. "Is Kaze… is your brother, um… does he have much… experience with women?"

Aura gave Lisa a very bland look, raising her eyebrows. "So, what, things were 'moving along' or something and then he got cold feet, and you're wondering if he's the embarrassed virgin type?" She shrugged one shoulder. "He's hit the sheets with a few people before… enough to know what he's doing, I suppose. I don't exactly discuss his sex life with him beyond 'dump the bimbo, moron' and 'stop being indecisive and jump her already'. But he's too polite to know what to do with virgins, which I don't doubt that you are."

Lisa's blush deepened. "H-how…"

"You are _not _the type to crawl into the pants of any guy who you have mild interest in, that's for sure," Aura said flatly. "As for Kaze-niisan, persist for long enough and he'll get over himself."

"O-oh…" Lisa squeaked, looking down at the table again.

"Aura, what are you doing downstairs?" came an exasperated voice from the door.

"Good morning to you too," Aura drawled as Fabula came over, looking vexed.

"You are _not _helping your condition any by doing this. Haven't I told you that if you want food, I'll order it for you and take it upstairs? Come on—" And with this, she grabbed Aura by the shoulder and started marching her towards the stairs.

Lisa, left alone at the table, looked down at her hands shyly.

Persist? Well… she hoped that letting Kaze know she wasn't worried, and doing it often, would keep him from freezing up.

Or at least, from trying to act like she didn't exist.

Lisa sighed and picked up the menu again. For now, she'd settle for deciding on breakfast. That, at least, was a safe activity with Aura out of the picture.

---

"Oh, no. _No."_

Kiri backed up against the door to find that it wasn't there anymore and stumbled against the back wall of the room. Frantic, he looked around. There was another door here, wasn't there? A _normal _door. A door he could escape through, before this place broke his mind completely.

There. There it was. Kiri dashed for it and tugged at the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge.

_Locked?! No… damn it! I have to get out of here… I have to get out of here or…!_

Or he wouldn't be able to block the sounds out for much longer. His barely strangled sobs, her vicious-edged breathing, the ugly and annoying creak of mattress springs. Kiri staggered backwards, his legs giving out, sending him collapsing to the ground with a blunt _thump. _Shivering, he put his hands over his ears, but the force of the memory was too strong. It overwhelmed his weak attempts at resistance and left him shuddering on the floor, nausea's claws tightly gripping him from his diaphragm to his gut, twisting hard. He didn't know whether to scream or cry or tear at his own body till he bled or give in to the lingering sickness and vomit in hopes of purging his body of the taint and degradation of defilement.

Blinded by tears, he swung his face up to the ceiling, hate roughening his throat. _"Why are you __**doing **__this to me?!" _he demanded.

**You must accept it.**

_"No!"_

**You must accept that the blame is none of your own.**

"Like hell it wasn't! It was entirely my own fault for being stupid, for being _weak! _No one can look at that and tell me I didn't as good as do it to myself, getting so careless!" Kiri pointed towards the bed, revulsion crawling up his spine, unable to look even though he knew damn well what he would see if he did. Every second of that moment had been seared permanently into his mind. He would never forget a single detail, because it was the worst moment of his life.

**Forgive yourself for your helplessness.**

"How _can _I?! I should've…! Even with all my promises, I…! I should have…" Kiri curled up, rocking back and forth, his face in his hands and his eyes stinging with hateful tears. "I should never have…"

**Is powerlessness a sin?**

"No… no, but…!" Kiri shook his head. "But!!"

**Accept it, or you will never be able to move on.**

Kiri laughed bitterly, sprawling on his side on the floor and curling tightly there. "What a joke."

**Does it make you any less human? Will the one you love care for you any less?**

"Then why don't I _feel _like I deserve to be loved or forgiven?" Kiri demanded thickly. "Why do I feel like the worst beast to ever crawl the earth? Why do I feel as though nothing good or pure should ever be allowed near me again, in case this _sickness _in me gets to them, too? Why…?!"

The gunshot rang, like he'd known it would. Then the footsteps, and his own bitter tears.

Aura's voice cut through the silence. "Shit, Kiri… that bitch really worked you over, didn't she…?"

Confusion filtered through his self-hatred. He didn't remember this—not clearly. Yes… he'd shut down by then.

Aura went on. "Damn it… if only we'd gotten here just a little sooner… I'm sorry, Kiri. I should've risked that shot back then… I know you would rather've died than lose your virginity like _this… _shit. Just how much of this is _our _fault, for not ruling out your stupid-ass plan like we usually do…? Damnit, Kiri…"

Wait. _What? _Aura was… blaming _herself _for this?

And something else was weird. Why was she calling him by his first name…?

Kiri sat up and stared across the room at his half-naked past self, slumped unresponsive in Aura's protective embrace. He could just see the bitter regret in her eyes over his own shoulders.

"……"

**Do you not see? There is a reason why life does not end when violation occurs.**

Kiri looked away. It felt… _wrong, _watching Aura like that. Even back then, he'd been totally unaware of everything but his own pain.

**The one waiting for you cannot afford for you to not remember how to live with yourself.**

"…I… ……I………" Kiri hung his head. "…I… yeah…"

He couldn't run away anymore.

Maybe the real cost of what had happened to him would still have to be faced eventually, but for right now, he could function while pushing it away to a place where he _could _deal with it later.

What was he _thinking? _Kumo was the only thing that was important right now.

Kiri stood, wiped his face dry, and headed for the door. The knob turned in his hands, the door warping and fading like a projected image and turning blue. He opened it and stepped through, and the image behind him vanished into the memories it had been resurrected from.

---

Kaze leaned against the stone and brick with his eyes half-closed against the brightness of the snow, watching his breath haze like Mist in the freezing air, the cold lancing through his Magun arm like dagger slashes. It was not exactly healthy for him to be outside now, with his heart in such precarious condition. But he had to separate himself from Lisa.

For someone like him, emotional attachment alone was dangerous enough. As one of the last warriors of Windaria left alive, he knew it was his destiny to fight the darkness, and fight it until he fell. It had been drilled into him by teacher after teacher in his younger years—attachment is weakness. It will only make your eventual demise that much sooner, and that much more painful.

Kaze knew he had to take that advice with a pinch of salt. After all, he'd always had Aura. And it wasn't as though Lisa couldn't defend herself if she had to. It was just…

She was still an innocent in so many ways. It wasn't fair to her to burden her with his twisted affections, let alone his physical desires. He could end up hurting her so easily, in so many ways… he'd been selfish, and he'd realized it once he'd found that she was still virginal.

She wouldn't understand. And so… he had to keep away from her, until he knew he could get his confused emotions towards her under better control.

…He couldn't remember ever wanting anything so _badly, _though.

Kaze closed his eyes and leaned back, the cold biting his chest as he took another deep breath. This was going to be difficult.

---

When Kiri stepped through the door, he found himself on another, wider stained-glass circle. This one was decorated in a beautiful spiral that curled around the design of two crossed keys. Strangely enough, though, there was nothing else here.

As he walked forward, he heard the voice again.

**The brighter the light, the deeper the darkness.**

Something about those words set off Kiri's senses, and he felt his pulse start to quicken as that feeling like he was being followed jarred his spine again.

**As you draw closer to the destiny that awaits you, you also grant strength to that which opposes you.**

Kiri stood still at the edge of the inner circle, exactly between the eyes of the two keys. Warily, he focused all his senses: There was a presence here. What it was exactly, he did not know.

**Face your darkness.**

There was a sound like the air warping, and Kiri whirled to see that his own shadow was cast across the entire circle, spilling over the edge past where the last door had been.

And it was already starting to writhe with darkness, with great yellow eyes hazing and blinking out from the depths.

Kiri's hand automatically went to his belt. As it closed on air, he remembered quite suddenly that he was completely unarmed.

He stared down at the Heartless breaking through towards him with a sinking feeling in his belly.

"Oh, _shit."_

---

Ever since that night when she'd seen the rooftop battle and Riku had explained everything, Ai hadn't known quite how she was supposed to act around Daisuke.

And it was worse when he looked at her like he was wondering if something was wrong. He was a nice guy, and Ai wasn't sure how to break it to him that the reason she was behaving strangely was because he'd turned out to be an art thief like in some crazy bedtime story, stealing treasures that his own friend Satoshi had made. Maybe she was wrong, but that seemed as though it'd be a pretty awkward topic of conversation.

So, despite Riku's attempts to get them talking, she and Daisuke weren't saying much as the three of them loitered around the front of the inn the Niwa family ran.

Besides, there was something else that was bothering Ai. She wasn't sure what it was, but a few days ago she'd started having a weird feeling, like something wasn't right or was out of place. It was a little bit like the feeling that had awakened her in time to see Daisuke and Krad duking it out that night, but not quite the same. She might not know what it was, but it was bugging her and it was _distracting._

And so, the three of them were just sort of standing there in halfway-awkward silence when Aura opened the door to the inn and squinted out into the brightness of the snowy day.

"What are you doing out here? I thought you still had a headache," Ai asked, confused.

"I do, but I'm looking for my idiot brother," Aura said, putting an irritable hand to his forehead. "He's been avoiding everyone, particularly Pacifist and me, and that's damned inconvenient because there's something I need to yell at him about."

"I haven't seen him," Ai replied, shaking her head.

"Actually, I think he left a while ago and that he's down at a restaurant or something," Daisuke put in. "I know I've seen him around town. But… if you're just going to yell at him, then…"

"Kaze-niisan has the most inconvenient sixth sense as to when I need to get on his case about the stick up his ass," Aura said wryly. "Father Nallorn, that man is a pain. But I don't think there's much I can do about this, so I might as well go back inside. If Fabula sees me out here, she'll decide _I'm _the one who needs to get yelled at here."

"There any particular reason our dragon disguised as a damsel is venturing outside when she's supposed to be staying in?" asked a familiar, cheeky voice from behind her.

Ai watched Aura whirl around to nail Dark with her best paint-peeling glare, putting her hand significantly to the stock of one of her revolvers. "Fuck off, Romeo. I'm not in the mood."

Dark held up his hands placatingly, rolling his eyes at her. "So who's asking?" he retorted. "I'd have to be crazy or _really _hard up to go after somebody as crazy as you." As Aura glowered at him, he passed her, walking down the stairs to shove Daisuke in the head. "I just came to ask you if there's any particular reason you're hogging all the beauties today."

"I see your lolita complex hasn't diminished any," Riku announced, folding her arms and giving Dark a distinctly unamused look.

Dark headslumped exaggeratedly, throwing his hands in the air. "Women can be so cruel."

Ai opened her mouth to tell him what he could do with his purposeful overexaggeration of his own libido, then closed it as that feeling constricted in her chest and something in her heart tugged her _hard, _making her turn in the direction of the Hikari mansion.

At the same time, Dark and Daisuke also whipped around. There was bafflement on Daisuke's face, whereas Dark's playful mask had dropped cleanly away to show iron suspicion.

"That's… that's Krad's magic," Daisuke said aloud, obviously confused. "Why would Krad be using magic in the middle of the day like this…?"

"…!!" Ai and the others turned just in time to see Aura fall bluntly and heavily to her knees, clutching her head with gritted teeth and a savage expression.

"What's wrong?!" Ai cried, crossing the stairs to kneel next to her.

"…………" Aura shook her head bitterly, her suddenly labored breathing a sibilant hiss. "This—_pressure… _It… feels like it's—getting worse—"

It was more of a flash of intuition than anything else, but if you walked the path of logic it would have made just as much sense. Aura was allergic to the Hikari clan's magic. That magic was now focused overpoweringly on the Hikari mansion. It was being cast, so Daisuke said, by Krad—Krad, who, according to Riku, hated humans with venomous and undying ardor.

This information flashed in one moment through Ai's mind, and the pull in her chest grew more insistent than ever. Turning to the others with wide eyes, she burst out with it, not stopping to think or explain.

"Kiri's in danger!"

---

As the hugest Darkside he'd ever seen filled most of the stained-glass circle, pushing Kiri back almost to the edge, he felt the sword he'd chosen back at the beginning of this long path spring readily into his hand from out of nowhere, and as the giant Heartless swung a lumbering limb at him, he dodged, rolled, and lashed out with the blade, catching the thing with the tip.

He didn't stop to assess the damage he'd done, but was up and running along as soon as he regained his feet, dashing around the edge of the glass behind the Darkside, then launched himself into the air.

_I wish I had my __**Maken,**_ Kiri thought passionately, frantically. This wasn't a bad sword, but he felt so _naked _without his own. If only he had it and his Mist bottles, he could make short work of this thing—

Now there was a thought. Inspired, Kiri let out a steady stream of Mist, then slowly moved his borrowed sword to the ready. Once the crimson haze had reached the Heartless, he swung it in a vicious diagonal line—there was a sound like a thunderclap and then the vicious wave of power Kiri had released shot through the air, biting deeply into the Darkside's back. The giant thing let out a roar of pain and swung through the air wildly; Kiri rolled in midair and dove, barely dodging the blow.

Panic hammered through his body, fear setting all his nerves on edge. Hyperaware of the Darkside's movements, Kiri touched down and ran back along the glow of the stained glass, dodging as the big thing stomped down heavily with both front limbs, darkness seething in bright violet tendrils wherever it touched.

Kiri felt coldness at his ankles and looked down. Shock made him stagger as he watched hundreds of tiny Shadow Heartless bubbling out of the dark spaces in the ground, swarming towards him. With a yell, he swirled his sword around; every Heartless he hit squeaked and vanished into black smoke, but for every one he dispatched, there were two or three more that popped up in its place.

To get clear of them, he hopped up into the air, breathing Mist again before cutting through the red haze with wild, desperate sword strikes. The waves and echoes of his power carved holes in the squirming mass, deeply scoring the glass below.

_Oh shit. Ohshitohshit oh shit shit __**shit.**_ Kiri barely dodged another wild blow from the Darkside. If he faltered—if he allowed himself to be hit—he would likely be stunned and then the Shadow Heartless would be there and they would tear his heart from his body and _it would all be over._

Hysteria shot through his blood at the very thought. He couldn't let that happen. Couldn't succumb to the darkness so easily. He had to fight, had to breathe, had to tear his way out of this illusion somehow. Kumo was waiting for him and everything was depending on him and oh _God _he didn't want to die. He had to _live._

He wanted to _live!_

That single stunning thought filled Kiri's body with a strange warmth, and the threads of terror and self-hatred and despair that had encumbered him for so long snapped.

It didn't matter how many times he had failed in the past. It didn't matter that there were times that he lacked the crucial power to win on his own and had to rely on his friends and companions. It didn't matter that Kara had so brutally and so cruelly taken from him what should have been Kumo's by right. Worthless he might be, but _that did not matter. _As long as he kept living—kept fighting—he still might have the power to change things.

And he wanted to live.

Heat gathered at Kiri's fingertips, and as the fear and the doubt fell away, he suddenly had a feeling like he was on the verge of understanding something crucially important. He didn't wait to try to puzzle at it, however, but instead shot through the air with fierce conviction and landed on the Darkside's back. Although it shook itself viciously in an attempt to dislodge him, he made his way up its spine, leaping over the heart-shaped hole in its torso, to stand at the nape of its nearly nonexistent neck.

Kiri paused for a moment, took in air. Breathed the purest, most powerful Mist he could manage, raised his sword above his head.

And brought it down into the Darkside's skull in a violent explosion of power.

---

Ai ran with Riku, Daisuke, and Dark, charging through the snowy streets of Fuyushin towards the Hikari mansion. She still wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but the certainty in her heart was growing stronger by the second. Kiri was in danger. He needed them.

Aura had stayed behind. She was in too much pain to move, and the magical pressure on her was so bad that blood had begun to run from under her nails and the corners of her eyes. She'd retreated back inside, but had insisted that Ai and the others go on ahead. If it was true that Kiri was endangered by whatever Krad was doing, they couldn't wait for Lisa to try to help her. They had to go _now._

As they reached the mansion, Ai plowed straight ahead, but heard a yelp behind her and ground to a halt, turning around in confusion.

Dark was standing several feet behind the three kids, one hand over his face like he'd hit it against something and his other fisted, resting on thin air. As they watched, he pounded it against something that to him must've been pretty solid but to Ai and the others didn't eve exist.

"Damn. He's using barrier magic," Dark announced sourly, his voice muffled by his hand. "I can't get in there—this's the same as the town barrier, nonhumans can't cross it unless they're hundreds of times stronger than I am!"

Daisuke shook his head. "Dark—go get Mom and Grampa! They might be able to help with it, or at least figure out something you can do! Tell them what's going on! The rest of us—we have to go!"

"Are you sure, Daisuke…?" Riku asked, worry naked on her face. "Without Dark you can't fight that well, and…"

"You're gonna need me to help you get through that place," he said stubbornly. "It's like a maze in there sometimes, and only Dark and I really know where everything is. Come on—we have to go, or…"

"He's right," Ai panted. "We can't waste time!"

"Don't you get killed in there," Dark said with a pointed glare at Daisuke. "I'm not about to give up this form just because you got stupid and played the hero."

"I won't," Daisuke replied with a smile.

And so the three of them headed forward into the dark mansion, leaving Dark behind.

It was almost pitch black inside. While Riku drew her sword and Ai primed her bow, Daisuke grabbed the candle resting on the table near the door and lit it, holding it high to illuminate as much of their surroundings as possible.

"He's downstairs, right?" Daisuke asked, his voice ringing in the dark emptiness. "Come on!"

The three of them pushed through the blackness to the door, but when Daisuke pulled at it, it wouldn't open.

"Oh, _no—_don't tell me he sealed this, too—"

"Let me try," Riku offered, and tugged at the doorknob. "Nnnngh…!! Ggh, it's no good!"

Ai scowled at the door and joined her friends. When she pulled at it hard, the door slammed violently open, exposing the long staircase.

Daisuke and Riku were staring at her. _"What?!" _Ai demanded crossly. "We have to hurry, come on!"

Their running steps echoed like Kaze firing the Magun as they pelted down the stairs. Ai didn't like it—she knew that this was going to be alerting anything near them to their presence—but she didn't care. That insistent tug in her chest was now an unrelenting demand, screaming _dangerdanger__**danger**_ and never stopping. Kiri needed her, and she couldn't stop for anything even if she wanted to.

It was only when the stairs evened out into flat ground that the attacks started to come.

First there was darkness and silence, and then blows were suddenly raining down all around them. Ai reacted instinctively and lashed out with her bow itself, beating back the attackers, while Riku yelled and swung at them with her sword, metallic clashes and the sounds of canvas ripping accompanying her every strike.

"The artwork…!" Daisuke exclaimed. "Krad's unsealed all the artwork!"

"Get outta my way!" Ai yelled, putting an arrow to her string as ghostly forms ranging from human to beastly crowded the path ahead.

When she loosed it, a powerful beam of blue-white light shot from her bow through the room. Whatever it touched melted away with unearthly wails of pain.

Daisuke and Riku were _staring _at her, huge-eyed and openmouthed.

As for Ai, she barely noticed—she herself was gaping.

She'd known that she had an unusual heart and that it was why she was being targeted by that Azrael Astaroth guy, but she'd never once imagined that because of it there was a power lying dormant in _her. _Or that Kiri's need would wake it up and tear it out of her like this.

After being protected and pushed out of the way for so long, now she had the power to _fight._

Ai's mouth hardened into a grim line and she set another arrow to her string, feeling heat gather along its length and a pleasant tingle in her hands. "Alright, move it unless you want some of what everything else here just got!" she yelled, feeling heady victory bubble through her body.

The Hikari artwork cleared a path.

Ai ran down it, with Riku and Daisuke right on her heels, until she came around the bend where they'd left Kiri in the Cage of Dreams. The coffin in its cleared circle lay dead ahead, and Krad was standing over it, his hands glowing with inhuman power that was seeping steadily into it—and into the five pieces of jewelry Kiri was bound with as he slept there.

"Krad, you _can't!" _Daisuke yelled. "This is between you and my family! That person has nothing to do with any of this!"

Krad turned in a whirl of white wings and long blonde hair, a savage sneer on his face.

"Just try to stop me."

---

The Darkside's body crashed against the glass, Kiri touching lightly down right after it, the shock of collision reverberating through his legs. Strangely, the big Heartless' body didn't vanish into a twist of darkness in the air. Instead, it seemed to lose its solidity, melting into black ooze that spread along the glass circle. All the little Heartless the goo touched melded with it, merging and spilling into the congealed, sticky mess.

**The darkness you will face is ancient, and bitter, and all-encompassing.**

The voice had barely spoken when Kiri realized with a sick shock that the black ooze had wound its way around his ankles and was steadily flinging tendrils of itself up his legs. When he tried to slash at it with his sword, he saw with a deep, sickening terror that it was gone from his hand. He tried to pull away, but its grip on him was too strong, and he almost fell backwards. As he flung his arms out for balance, the darkness beneath him seethed and shot up, entrapping his arms and winding around his chest.

**But do not be afraid…**

Kiri let out a wild yell and struggled. Behind the panic, that feeling like he was right on the verge of something important was increasing. The heat in his body focused in his hands, in his fingertips—and in his heart. But whatever it was, it wasn't coming fast enough—the darkness had a thick black tendril around his throat now, was spreading in sticky waves across his face, over the bridge of his nose.

**…for you possess the most powerful weapon of them all.**

As Kiri's vision hazed and faded, he felt the voice begin to speak again.

But before it could, the world around him sparked and blackened and fizzled out as though it had never been there in the first place, and he was falling through the empty darkness once again.

---

Ai watched the light in the Cage of Dreams flicker and die, and aimed her arrow at Krad, her brown eyes hard and fierce.

Krad laughed. "How pitiful. No mere human could oppose me with such a paltry, mundane weapon."

Mundane, was it? Ai pulled the arrow back until the bowstring strained, then loosed. That bolt of light screamed through the air again, right past Krad's face, leaving a bloody streak along his cheekbone. Shock welled in his eyes as his mocking smile froze on his face.

"Next time I won't miss," Ai said threateningly, and placed another arrow on the string.

"You little _bitch," _Krad hissed, outrage twisting his coldly lovely features into ugliness, touching the blood on his face. He'd gone pale with anger and fear, and stepped back from the Cage of Dreams automatically.

"I wouldn't test her, if I were you," a voice said from the darkness. "She wields the kind of power that would be enough to incapacitate you, or even permanently damage you."

As Ai, Riku, and Daisuke started and whirled around, Satoshi walked from the darkness. His glasses were slipping down his nose and his clothes were splattered with paint, and he looked annoyed.

"In fact, since Daisuke is also here, I seriously doubt you could handle that power," he continued. "If she can injure you, never forget that given your weakened position, Daisuke and I could seal you up for good…"

Krad glared at his master, but said nothing.

Satoshi turned to regard the seething artwork throughout the room, then spoke very clearly. "As for the rest of you, I am busy working on a new creation. Cease this disturbance at once. I will handle this." At the sharp annoyance in his voice, the works surrounding the area fidgeted, then returned to their usual recumbent—and nonliving—states.

"Thank you so much, Satoshi," Daisuke breathed. "You almost gave me a heart attack, popping out of nowhere like that…"

Satoshi turned to his friend and rival and favored him with a slight smile.

However, before anyone could say anything, there was a hoarse gasp from the direction of the Cage of Dreams. Everyone immediately turned to it as Kiri lurched upright, the overcoat that had covered him spilling liquidly into folds of fur at his waist. The sleep in his face dissipated as the five components of the Cage glowed bright gold and melted off his body of their own accord, dropping against the coat in his lap. Kiri held out his hand, and his Maken snapped into it; his fingers curled around the deep gray hilt as though welcoming an old and half-forgotten friend.

"Kiri…" Ai let her bow fall, staring at him with wide eyes. "Kiri, you're back…!"

And he slowly turned to her, and recognition sparked in his face as the last of his long sleep fell from his eyes, and _smiled._

"Yeah."

---

"So you're all leaving already…?"

"The sooner, the better," Aura declared, bitter and vehement. But then, having an allergic reaction to the local magic so powerful it actually made you bleed from every orifice probably had some effect on that.

"Well, Kiri's awake, and everyone here is safe, so we may as well, before there's any more trouble," Lisa said apologetically.

"Where are you all going?" Emiko asked, ruffling her son's hair. "It's a dangerous world out there, after all… if you don't have a plan, it would be easy for you all to run into trouble."

"We've decided to head to Port Bellebane for now, and make our plan of attack from there," Fabula told her. "Now that Kiri's finally recovered, there's no point in hesitating any longer. Only Azrael Astaroth and his demon friend are left out of those who control the Heartless, and it's high time we made our attack on them directly instead of waiting for them to come to us. There are lives depending on us, after all."

"I'm sorry for the trouble that Krad caused you," Satoshi put in. "Our feud is only with the Niwa family, and he should know better than to get anyone else involved with our quarrels."

"Well, in the end we stopped him from doing anything bad, so it's no big deal," Ai told him proudly.

"And—I wanted to thank you for agreeing to help me," Kiri put in a little awkwardly. "I don't remember coming here at all, but I'm aware of the state I was in. I must've been an inconvenience for you at the very least, but you didn't turn me away. Thank you."

"Not at all," Satoshi said, giving them his smile. "The Cage of Dreams was created specifically to help those in your position."

"But do you really _have _to go?" Riku asked miserably.

"I do, but…" Ai shook her head. "We'll see each other again. I know we will. So… 'til then, keep on working hard! Get a lot stronger! You've gotta protect Daisuke and everyone, right?"

And at that, Riku couldn't help but smile. "…Right," she said with a nod.

"So… will we be off…?" Kaze asked from the back of the group.

"Yes, let's, please," Aura grumbled. "I've had enough of this idiot migraine to last me for the rest of my life. I want out."

As Fabula quietly admonished her, the rest of their group said their goodbyes and turned down the road out of the snow-covered city.

"I suppose we all owe Rau one for his suggestion," Lisa remarked as they left. "We wouldn't have known what to do at all if it hadn't been for him."

A surprised look crossed Kiri's face as she said it. "Hey, that reminds me—we're going to Bellebane, right?" When Lisa nodded, confused, he pulled a slightly beat-up envelope out of his pack. "I can't believe I almost forgot that I had this… I'm supposed to deliver a letter for those two, to some friend of theirs in Bellebane. I can get that out of the way there, too…"

"If Rau and Mu had friends in that town, then we shouldn't have many problems with the locals there," Fabula remarked. "And that's good… because aside from the capital city of Ivalice, Bellebane has the largest standing army of any town or fief in Archaea."

(TBC)


	30. Scherzo di Notte

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

From outside Fuyushin's protective barrier of cold, Kiri and the others found the road, which wound north, then northwest towards the coast of Archaea, where the port town of Bellebane lay. The journey went mostly without incident—there were multiple attacks by Heartless of moderate strength, but none of them proved troublesome. Ai finished off most of them by herself, clearly reveling in her newfound powers and destroying every enemy that crossed her path with powerful bolts of light.

"It's amazing," Lisa remarked after one such skirmish. "I suppose that none of us considered any of this before even though we all knew that Ai's heart is special… maybe if they'd been allowed more time, or if they'd fought more, the other children would have developed abilities like hers, as well."

"Clear did have that spell, remember? The one that leveled Conkram," Fabula pointed out. "I don't think he was able to control it at all, but it was definitely an unusual power. Magic of that level is something you have to train years for unless you're born with inherent talents." At this, she broke off to shake her head with a bitter expression, probably thinking of how she'd been forced into her position for her skills.

"Well, we can marvel over it for the entire trip if we like," Aura drawled, crossing her arms. "Me, I'd rather focus on why exactly we're getting small fries here when we're heading closer and closer to Ugly McBass-Ackwards' headquarters."

"It's possible that with their forces so diminished, they could have switched to a defensive strategy…," Lisa began, sounding surprised—apparently it was the first she'd considered this.

_"Or _they're planning something, the way they always seem to," Kiri said flatly, making a face. "Whenever we've chased them before, things've always gone screwy. If we get to Bellebane without major incident, we'll really have to think up a few good plans before we try to attack again."

There was an awkward moment in which everyone gave Kiri worried looks; he narrowed his eyes, crossed his arms, and gave them a look that was half resigned and half resentful.

Then again, he probably didn't want or need their sympathy as another reminder of what had happened the last time they'd decided to attack.

Whatever the cause, they were able to enjoy a relatively hassle-free journey to their destination.

Bellebane seemed to be a very large town—although it wasn't a fiefdom but rather a trade town governed by merchant families which had gathered its own militia over time, the party could see as they drew close to it that its financial fortunes had allowed it to grow vast, with large brick-and-wood buildings and a wide network of docks expanding over the ocean. Perhaps not that surprisingly, the land-bound part of the town was encircled with high walls made of sharpened logs wound together—people, apparently members of the militia, were walking back and forth across the wall tops, posted wherever the town's flag or the national flag flew. As Kiri and the others approached, the troops standing at the section of wall directly over the gate and portcullis gathered and peered down there.

"Who goes there?" one of the soldiers called suspiciously—from the voice, Kiri judged that this one was a young man.

"Travelers," Kiri called back. "We're seeking a place to rest for a few days in safety before we move on. Oh, and I've got a letter for a Miss Murrue Ramius, from her friends Mu la Flaga and Rau le Creuset."

"Hah! You're going to have to try harder than _that _to get in here," the soldier replied scornfully. "Prove you actually know our commander and La Flaga, and that this isn't some trick of the Heartless forces at the capital!"

Kiri looked over his shoulder at his companions with a nonplussed expression. Always before, they'd always been let in wherever they'd wanted to go—but then, this close to the capital, maybe these people had good reason to be cautious. "What kind of proof d'you want?" he called back up.

Someone else had joined the soldiers, and it was this person who called down—this one had a woman's voice and spoke more gently than the first soldier, but her words were no more compromising. "If it's at all possible, personal information—of the kind those two wouldn't tell someone they didn't trust. I know both of them well, so I'll know if you're telling the truth or not."

"Alright." Kiri thought for a moment, then almost hit himself over the forehead as he realized what he would have to tell these people and thought that it was so obvious he should've thought of it immediately. "Well, when I met the two of them in Isu, general consensus was that they were twin brothers, but Mu told me that they actually aren't… that Rau was born of the 'cloning' magitechnology developed in this town."

There was a short pause, then the woman's voice answered him. "That's definitely something that they wouldn't let slip to just anyone. Alright. Everyone, raise the portcullis and open the gates."

Once the rickety framework of spikes had been pulled back and the heavy wooden doors were open, Kiri and the others were greeted by the sight of a young woman standing in the midst of a circle of young men. She had beautiful and decisive features, and shiny brown hair that fell to her shoulders in a slight wave. Although the gaze of her warm brown eyes was steady, there was a spark of hope all but buried in them as well. She wore leather armor reinforced with lengths of chain mail over a white dress, and a large oak-and-iron crossbow was fastened at her shoulder along with a full quiver of red-fletched arrows.

"I am Murrue Ramius, and the acting commander of our forces in Rau's absence," she explained. "If it's alright, may I see the letter now?"

"Ah—yeah, of course." Kiri pulled the rather battered envelope from his belongings and held it out to Murrue, who accepted it. As she opened it with fingers that shook only slightly, he made a face and fidgeted a little. "I'm—sorry, it's a little beat-up… I've been carrying it around for a while, so…"

Murrue, who was smiling now, shook her head. "No—there's no need to apologize, not at all. This is definitely Mu's handwriting. Thank you very much for delivering this. How are they?"

"Your friends, along with all the other survivors in Isu, were evacuated and relocated to the town of Lukahn, and have joined the resistance there," Lisa offered. "They were both in good health when we last saw them."

"Thank you," Murrue said softly. "Unfortunately, I can't take you inside myself, as I've still duties to attend to, but—" She turned to her soldiers. "Athrun, Nicol, will you two lead these travelers to our best inn? I'll see to the details of their stay later, but tell the innkeeper to let them in at his lowest price, alright?"

Two of the young men—a boy with blue hair and green eyes dressed in robes and carrying a long staff with a crooked head and one with curly green hair and red-brown eyes in light defensive gear with a longbow—bowed to her with a decisive "Yes, Ma'am" each, then beckoned to the party and headed into the town itself.

There were a lot of people living here, Kiri noticed as they walked, and as would be expected in a trade center, they all seemed extremely busy. Vendors lined the streets, and it seemed that each had at least one or two customers hovering over the wares. He wondered for a moment what they were trading for their goods, as they didn't seem to carry anything, then remembered—unlike in Mystaria, down here on the surface, people didn't trade equally. Instead, when they wanted things, they used money—a system that seemed to trade credit of wealth for necessities and indulgences. It was a strange thing to do, in his opinion—trading was far better, as that way, each person got something they needed or wanted in the transaction, instead of the gain being one-sided. But then, the customs of surface humans never made much sense to him.

As they walked, their guides turned back to them with smiles. "I'm Athrun Zala," the blue-haired one said, "and this is Nicol Amalfi. We're subcommanders in the city militia."

"You really met the commander and Mu la Flaga out there?" Nicol asked. "Are they still at each other's throats all the time?"

Kiri remembered, and rolled his eyes. "They _do _argue a lot, yeah," he replied, "but a lot of the time it seems like worried arguing, not angry arguing."

"Maybe things have changed," Nicol said, sounding surprised. "I'm… kind of impressed. Back before the two of them left here, every time they saw each other in the street there'd be a fight."

"If they were any people other than our commander and the heir to one of the richest families living here, you can bet it would've been a lot worse," Athrun added with a sigh. "If they're getting along any better, everyone around them is very fortunate."

"Well, they say that no one really knows how important they truly are to each other until what they have is threatened," Lisa supplied with a smile in Kaze's direction. "I'm sure the danger of the outside world is what made things change for them."

There was a pause of relative quiet as all of them walked with their thoughts, the buzz of the crowd in the background.

"Here we are," Athrun said suddenly, pointing up ahead to a vast, three-story building with the legend "Desert Soul" emblazoned above the door alongside the picture of a cactus in the midst of vast sands. "The owner of the inn is a friend of Assistant Commander Ramius. Just about everything in town is owned by or has some tie to the Ramius and La Flaga families, so since you have her approval and you came with news of the commander, you should be welcomed almost everywhere. We'll deal with the innkeeper, so go ahead in and choose your rooms."

---

As it turned out, the innkeeper was not only a friend of Murrue, he was also a reserve member of the armed forces himself and knew both Mu and Rau quite well. Hearing that Kiri and the others had come with news regarding the two of them, he'd welcomed them gladly, wouldn't accept anything but first-class accommodations for them at the lowest price possible, and shooed them off to set their things in order. Since there wasn't anyone staying at the inn (for obvious reasons), everyone got to have their own room—Kiri in particular was happy that there was running water in this inn, which meant hot baths and even better, hot showers.

Following an afternoon of washing off trail dust and soothing the ache of travel out of weary bodies, everyone was treated to a table of local cuisine on the house. Again, the innkeeper would not hear of payment.

"This town hasn't been the same since those two rascals left," he said with a grin. "You've let us know they're not only alive, but thriving, and lending their skills to others who need them. That more than equals the price of a good meal. Now stop complaining and eat your kebabs. Kids these days just don't know how to accept a favor when it comes their way…"

The 'kebabs' the man spoke of were actually savory meat-and-bean pies, baked into tortilla dough and served steaming. Traditionally, you dressed them either in yogurt sauce or chili sauce.

Ai, who had eaten kebabs before, slathered chili sauce all over hers and dug in with gusto. The innkeeper, who'd seen her do it, flung his arm over his face theatrically and groaned piteously.

"No, no, no, _no! _I—I can't watch, I can't _bear _it! How can anyone mar the culinary perfection that is the kebab with the horror of _chili sauce?"_

"I' 'astes be'er wi' it," Ai said staunchly through a mouth full of kebab.

Kiri, who preferred his food spicy, followed Ai's example. "These are _really _good," he commented after trying one. "I've gotta get the recipe. I know plenty of people back home who'd really like 'em."

Aura (who hated spicy food) and Kaze were listening to the innkeeper and using yogurt sauce instead. Lisa, however, was looking at her kebabs uncertainly, as if trying to decide which to choose. After a moment's hesitation, she turned to Ai, sitting next to her. "Which do you think would…?"

_"Definitely _chili sauce," Ai said adamantly, and picked up the bottle to squirt the red sauce all over Lisa's plate.

"The yogurt sauce is the best," the innkeeper put in at the same time, squirting white sauce across Lisa's plate so that it melded with the chili sauce.

"Nuh-uh! _Chili _sauce!" Ai punctuated the vehement statement with another squirt.

"Yogurt sauce!" Another squirt here, too. Lisa turned from Ai to the innkeeper, flustered, but they were arguing too fiercely back and forth. At least now neither was threatening her plate.

"Just eat them like that," Fabula advised. "In my opinion, they taste better with both anyway."

---

_For the first time in a long time, Kiri saw Kumo in his dreams that night._

_The two of them were sitting on the rooftop of their Mystarian home, the way they so often had in the past; however, Kumo was not dressed in nightclothes or even in his swordsman's whites, but in the flimsy, loosely laced clothes given to him by the enemy. His wings sparkled in the night, sending off glittering sparks of light as bright as the stars. When he turned to Kiri, however, his eyes were not that empty heartless blue, but their natural pale green._

_Kiri reached out and pulled Kumo close to him, wrapping his cloak about his brother's waist as he watched the poor thing shiver with the cold of the night. "Just hang on a little longer," he said softly into Kumo's cheek, his heart aching. "We're coming. We're almost there."_

_Kumo turned to him and wound chilly fingers into the fabric of Kiri's clothes, his eyes soulful and his gaze pained. "The closer you are, the greater the danger… they know you're coming for me, and they have their own plans."_

_"That doesn't matter," Kiri said fiercely. "They've already done all they can to me. I'm not afraid of them—and as long as you're waiting for me, I won't die. I would never hurt you that way."_

_"There's one among you… with a great power, one that those people desire badly," Kumo said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "You all… have to protect her, at all costs. If the evil in the darkness obtains what it seeks… then this world, and _all _worlds, will be in grave danger…"_

_"We won't let that happen," Kiri vowed, holding Kumo close. "I swear on my life, I _will _save you. Nothing's going to stop me now—nothing."_

_Kumo opened his mouth for a moment as if he was going to say something, then closed it, casting his eyes down with a sad smile. Before Kiri could ask what was wrong, he tilted his face up and caught his brother's lips._

_Beneath the empty skies and the lonely shine of the surviving stars, they held each other, love erasing everything but the slow churn of desire between them._

---

That morning, Kiri woke to a calm certainty that everything would be over very soon, and the iron of his promise resolute in his heart.

He would not allow this to go on any longer than it had to. As soon as there was a plan, they would head for the capital—and save Kumo, and the children, and everyone who'd lost so much to Azrael Astaroth's cruelty.

---

It was always a good thing, Fabula mused, to be able to rest in a place where you were fairly sure you would remain safe through the night.

It was better to wake up knowing that the day's work would actually accomplish something solid. Tonight over dinner, everyone would congregate to discuss their plan of attack on Ivalice—and what they would do if something happened to go wrong.

In the meantime, Kiri and Ai had been whisked off into the care of the innkeeper, who'd decided that since they loved kebabs so much, he would teach them how to make some—the two of them had also agreed to go out shopping later, to get more ammunition for Ai and other supplies they might need while on the road to Ivalice.

Lisa had grabbed Kaze on his way out the door and had shepherded him off somewhere secluded—as much for couple time as to discuss their relationship, Fabula guessed. Both of them knew what was at stake here—for each of them, as much as for Kumo and the country of Archaea. More so than anyone else—except perhaps Kiri—they had so much to lose.

As for herself, Fabula would be spending the day with Aura—who'd said she wanted to take a little time to set preparations in store for any big battles up ahead, something she'd wished she had the time to do in the past.

"Seems like all we've been fighting so far are either boring little scraps with peons any halfwit could kill, or big-ass siege fights where all the pressure's on getting our asses out of the fire alive," Aura was saying as she leaned back where she sat on her bed, emptying her revolvers of unspent bullets and removing the ammunition belts at her waists, opening them so that Fabula could see the colors of the Soil gleaming from inside them. "And that's fine as far as fights go, but it hasn't really given me much opportunity to do what I've been trained for."

"Which is…?" Fabula asked, intrigued, as Aura fingered through rows of bullets, pulling out blues, greens, whites, and the occasional deep purple-black.

"See, any old gunmage with a revolver and a handful of bullets could cast your average spells on an enemy—that's basic training anybody with Soil sense is put through, you know. That's what I've basically _been _doing, because I haven't had the time to do any different. But I'm not an ordinary gunmage—I'm a gunwizard, and I graduated top of my class at our academy back in Windaria. More than just casting ordinary spells, gunwizards are usually the ones who hang out in the back of battles, and pitch in when their help is really necessary. We're taught a lot more about Soil and its properties, and the way the colors can interact with each other to produce different effects, because more than anything else we're spellweavers."

As she went on, Aura picked up her heavy silver revolvers. "These? They're custom jobs, and I paid through the nose for them, but it was really a steal considering that these are worth all our weight in solid gold. Most revolvers you find are old-fashioned, people barely use 'em these days because they've only got the one barrel and you have to reload after every six shots. These babies have six barrels, and they'll hold twelve bullets each. The pressure valves on the sides affect how many bullets I can fire at once—what kind of spells I'll use and at what magnitude. If their capacity was any higher, they'd be too cumbersome to really use.

"Now, back when I was in training, I did my research. There are lots of totally kick-ass spells out there, the kind of stuff that you hear about old sorcerers inventing back in ancient times, things that did a hell of a lot more damage than your average Flare or Holy. The kinds of killshots people say are impossible nowadays. Some of them—not all, but some—I've been able to adapt for my own use, but every single one of them will use twenty-four bullets total, so I'll only have one shot and then I'm basically defenseless until I can get off a reload. Which might take a while, if I've got two empty guns.

"Still." Aura sighed and shook her head. "That kind of thing's at _least _as powerful as a good summon, and if I can keep my idiot brother from really hurting himself in a fight, I have no excuse not to. The next big scrape we get into, I'm going to use it—so I've gotta set it up now."

"This must've taken a lot of research," Fabula remarked. Aura had found twenty-two bullets so far and was still hunting for the last ones she needed.

"Yeah, well." Aura smirked and shrugged. "Every girl's gotta have her own can of whoop-ass stored away for a rainy day, right? Knowing that you can pull a critical like that in a pinch is an awesome feeling."

"I would imagine so…" Since Aura was facing away, Fabula allowed herself a slight grimace. She remembered all too clearly what that had felt like—but now, she didn't know if that was a power she could still reach.

Limitations and restrictions. That was all her life had been since that time…

"Hah! _There _you are!" Triumphantly, Aura held up the last Soil bullet, then swept the pile of the ones she'd sorted through and discarded off to another side of the bed. "Sneaky little bugger. So—you want a play-by-play here, or what?" she asked Fabula with a charmingly cheeky grin.

Fabula smiled back. Knowing that Aura would likely never suffer the way that she had, or have her powers or potential bound in any way—it was such a warm feeling. "Of course I do. I'm something of a spellweaver myself—I'd love to hear more."

"Alright." Aura turned to the twenty-four Soil she'd laid out in front of her. "So, first, I have to set the elemental foundations of the spell…"

---

Seeking someplace private where they could talk, Lisa had pulled Kaze with her through the town until she'd found open grass, and better, a thin stand of trees there. Out of the view of any passersby, she turned to him patiently, only barely holding back a despairing sigh as she found he wasn't looking at her.

"Does it really worry you that much—the thought that you might be my first?" she asked him.

"It's—important." Kaze just shook his head, looking at her from the corner of his eye. "Something that… shouldn't be taken lightly. Now… isn't the time for… something like that."

Lisa gave him a long, level, significant stare before answering. "If we put off a relationship because there are times that you or I are in danger, thinking that we should only be together if there's peace and space enough to deal with any small mistake we might make, what kind of relationship will this be when it's all over? It's too late for us to turn our backs and not care about each other, Kaze. And since you are thinking about the danger, and about the hurt we might do to each other—'I shouldn't have gone there' is a much better regret to have than 'I _should_ have'."

Kaze was looking at her directly now, and Lisa noticed that he was shivering. Someone else might have mistaken it for fear, but that intense look in his eyes told her what it was: Desire. A mercilessly repressed, repeatedly ignored physical pull—something that couldn't be restrained once it was unleashed.

Trusting instinct, Lisa took a step closer to him, looking up into his eyes and refusing to let him look away. "Is it really such a bad thing… for me to want you?"

Before he could draw back and leave the way he certainly would if she gave him the time, Lisa closed the distance between them, rose up on her toes, and kissed him.

After a brief moment's surprise and hesitation, Kaze's control broke. What otherwise might have remained as chaste and shy as every other kiss they'd shared went fierce with want; Kaze whirled Lisa around and pressed her back up against the trunk of one of the nearby trees, shuddering at the mild noise of surprise she made at the impact. Reveling in the feel of his lips tangled so demandingly with hers, Lisa clung to him, her hands running from his waist up to his shoulderblades, tracing his taut muscles as they went. His hand rested at her hip for a few moments, then slid up to cup her breast, his fingertips moving in a subtle stroke that sent a shiver through her entire body.

Lisa trembled against him, both surprised by and relishing his sudden force. She'd wanted this—been waiting for this—had even wondered if someone with such a gentle soul as Kaze was even _capable _of this, and now that his hidden ferocity had been coaxed out, she realized in one moment of wild clarity that she would have him here and now if he was willing.

One solid shock pulsed through her, almost making her jump, as his touch disappeared from her breast and his hand was very suddenly between her legs. As though her surprised jerk hadn't even registered, he cupped her in his palm, then slowly drew his fingers back in a delicate but devious stroke.

Lisa arched back against the tree, her breath hitching in her chest, moaning a little into the vicious intensity of their kiss. _Want _and _heat _surged through her to the rhythm of his touch, and it was agony and _God _it was so good. His hand shifted back and she pushed her hips forward, thrusting into the heel of his hand slowly, then faster, as his touch roughened and she clung to him desperately, her nails biting into the leather at his back. It felt so good it hurt but she wanted more, _God _she just _had _to have more, she wanted it and wanted him and she had to have him _now, _had to have him inside her because it was going to be even better and she couldn't _stand _it any more—

Her jumbled thoughts shattered as she came into his hand with a desperate moan that was half-wail and collapsed weakly back against the tree, panting. He was breathing as hard as her and his eyes were unfocused and his hand felt so good against her, she had to wonder what it would be like when he was touching her bare skin. They were still standing close, pressed up tightly against each other, and she realized consciously how hard he was and how easily they could just forget about everything else around them and make love right here and now, and finish each other off.

But Kaze's gaze suddenly cleared and he pulled his hand away, bewildered and alarmed as he continued to meet Lisa's pleasure-hazed stare.

"We—can't," he said, and stepped back. Before she could say or do anything, he'd taken off.

Lisa slid liquidly to the ground, all her muscles slack with the orgasm. Just sitting there in the grass, she stared after where Kaze had retreated to and fought to get her breath back.

So close—they'd been so _close _this time. She shivered a little. If Kaze hadn't regained the powers of rational thought right then, she did not doubt at all that they would've done it right out here in the open, and to hell with whoever might pass this way and see them.

It was a wonderful, shaky feeling.

All she had to do, it seemed, was push him in the right direction, and eventually, she'd be able to destroy the rest of his reservations.

Right then, Lisa couldn't remember ever feeling happier.

---

"Could you have guilt-tripped that guy any more…?" Kiri asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the vendor he and Ai had just left, with a laugh. "I swear he was starting to tear up."

Ai shook her head, fingering through the arrows she'd purchased. "Oh, c'mon. Don't feel _that _bad for him. The guy was totally and completely ripping us off—be glad I know how to haggle! You could've helped instead of standing around acting like you didn't know how to shop, y'know."

Kiri shook his head. "You people's ideas of business, I _do not _get."

They'd been to several stores already, and Kiri could be no less than completely amazed by the sharp, no-nonsense, assertive attitude Ai took when debating prices and wares with the storeowners. Trading in Mystaria was fairly tame; you presented what you want to people in the meeting place, usually starting with those people from other cities you already knew and working your way towards strangers. Someone could always make some use of what you had, and someone always had what it was you needed, so things were always settled quickly and peacefully. Down here, in a town built on commerce, business was more like a contact sport.

And Ai was so good at it already that Kiri thought it wise to just stay out of the whole affair and back up Ai's implicit statements that he was the muscle to back up her word. Really, it was all he could do to keep up with her.

"I think that's almost everything," Ai was saying now, looking over the checklist Fabula had written up for them. "Anything we haven't got, we can fix out of what we do have. And it'd be a waste to give any more money to _these _losers."

Kiri shrugged and nodded. "Whatever you say, Ms. Money-Savvy."

Ai giggled and shoved at him as they turned a corner. Someone walking away from another vendor noticed them and came up to join them—Kiri recognized him as another one of the boys who'd been with Murrue at the gate: The one with dark skin, blonde hair, light purple eyes, and an easy, personable grin.

"Hey—you're the newcomers around here, right?" Both Kiri and Ai nodded; his grin broadened. "Excellent! I'm Dearka, one of the militia subcommanders. Want I should help you carry all that back to the inn?"

"Yes, _please," _Kiri said emphatically, holding out two of the many bags draped over his arms. "On its own this stuff isn't much, but all together it's _way _too heavy."

"Be a _man," _Ai teased him. He made a face at her as Dearka took the bags.

"No problem, none at all." He grinned. "Any friend of the commander is a friend of mine."

As they walked, Kiri looked at the boy curiously. "It surprised me to hear that Rau is actually the commander of the whole militia," he admitted. "No one ever told us that. You all must respect him a lot, to always call him that, so I assume he must be a good one."

"You kidding?" Dearka actually laughed out loud. "The commander's the _best. _He's the whole reason Bellebane's survived this long, and I _don't _mean just from the Heartless. We're a port town and a trade center, meaning that even before all this mess, we got hit by pirates and bandits a _lot. _The old military system sucked hardcore, so we were getting looted all the time back when I was a little kid.

"It didn't seem like things were gonna change much, either, but _then _the commander gets military training at the capital and comes back here with a bunch of novel ideas." At Kiri and Ai's intrigued expressions, Dearka blinked at them, then grinned and waved a hand. "He left here when he was about my age, they say. The official story's that the La Flaga family disowned him, but it's pretty commonly known that it's the other way around—he marched off with his nose in the air, swearing he'd never have anything to do with them again. Anyway, when he came back he'd trained with the royal army and would've been given a ranking position there, but he thought he'd rather fix us up first.

"The commander drilled our pathetic excuse for a militia in basic training, and attracted other people so they'd join. He ordered that we have walls built, and started a trade in weapons here to go along with our usual exports. This place used to be a disaster waiting to happen, and the rich and powerful were too lazy to make it change, you see what I mean? Our military forces were epic fail before he got here. See what I'm saying?"

_"Totally," _Ai said with a grin.

"I believe you," Kiri agreed, also smiling. Listening to Dearka tell this story was fun, since the boy's manner of speech was so animated and he so obviously admired Rau greatly. It also made him realize that Rau probably _was _as good as they said—because he hadn't bragged about nor even _hinted _at his military expertise at the refugee camp or in Lukahn.

"But when he got here everything changed quick. People saw the sense in the things he said, and even though some of the merchant families and especially La Flaga's dad made noise about it costing too much and kicking him out, they all shut up _real _fast when they saw it was working. There was a military school founded here then—that's how we all got our positions, the commander handpicked us from the top classes—and more and more defense got put into this place. King Ansem was really happy with how we were developing and how much more trade got done here, so he gave the town grants until it got to be as big and as prosperous as the fiefdoms.

"Did you guys notice how Bellebane's on risen, sorta rocky ground, even though we're basically built on the beach?" Kiri and Ai nodded. "The commander did _that, _too. Raised the earth and made it harder to march over with his power. Doing it nearly killed him, and from then on using his abilities has made him sick, but… he insisted that it had to be done." Dearka smiled, and Kiri could practically see him glowing with the pride and affection behind it. "That's the commander for you. He's got a big heart, even if it doesn't really show day-to-day. He seems quiet until he has to get all authoritative on you, and then he acts so self-assured that you just have to believe in him. Bellebane owes him everything."

Dearka lapsed into silence then; Kiri mulled over what he'd heard until he noticed a few moments later that they'd arrived at the inn.

"And now that I've talked your ears off, here's your stuff back," Dearka said with a laugh, holding out their bags. "Sorry I can't stay to bore you even more, but the Assistant Commander and the others'll wonder where I am if I don't get back now."

"It wasn't boring," Ai protested.

"Yeah—I feel like I've just learned volumes," Kiri said with a grin. "You'd never imagine. Rau seemed so _reserved _when I met him."

"Just goes to show you can't always tell what a person's really like by a surface relationship," Dearka quipped, then waved to them and jogged off down the streets.

"Guess he's right," Kiri remarked to no one in particular as he and Ai headed inside to unload their purchases and meet up with everyone for their big discussion.

---

The six of them gathered around one table after dinner had ended, bending over the map Fabula had gotten from Kratos back at the last Church of Angelus they'd been to.

"Alright, so we're here" Fabula pointed to the dot marked _Port Bellebane _"and here's Ivalice." She tapped another dot. "Instead of a beach like over here, the coastline is a next-to-sheer cliff, so there's really no way in but the front gates. And going in that way may be asking for trouble, but it's the only choice we've got.

"From there, it'll be an uphill battle, literally. From Clear's information, the place'll be crawling with Heartless. To make things worse, instead of a castle, King Ansem set up a small fortress in the middle of the town called the Welgaian Bastion where the people could retreat to in times of danger. If these people have any sense at all, and we _know _they do, they'll be holed up in there. It's nasty and very hard to get into, and although I'm sure the Heartless must have done _some _kind of damage to get inside, it'll still be a difficult, one-road battle.

"From what we know, Azrael Astaroth is the ringleader here, so he'll probably hang back until we get to him, sending his peons out—and that includes that demon who takes Kaze's form. Cliché it might seem, but trust me on this—truly evil people care more about themselves than anything other than carrying out their plans, and so unless he's got something huge and imperative that he needs to do involving us, he'll probably prefer to throw out minions on us until he doesn't have any more."

"There's a whole lot of maybes in there, but I don't see that we have any damn choice but to speculate here," Aura said, scowling at the map. "Really, it looks like our only choice is to muscle our way in."

"There are a thousand things that can go wrong, so let's just lay down some ground rules, alright?" Kiri shook his head. "First and foremost, protecting Lisa and Ai is our top priority. Without Lisa, there's really no point to our mission—we won't be able to restore Kumo's heart or any of the kids'. Ai is the last person they want for their plan, so if they get her it's safe to assume that we're fucked."

Lisa nodded. "Also… we'll have to reserve our strength for our truly strong enemies—Azrael Astaroth and the demon. That means that Kiri and Kaze shouldn't summon on anything unless they absolutely have to—Kaze, this is important for your health, too. None of us can be certain just how much more of this your heart can take." Kaze, who'd interestingly enough been torn between watching her and pointedly not looking at her up until now, held her gaze and bowed his head in silent acquiescence.

"When we get to Azrael Astaroth, it'll be the final battle, and we'll have to pull out all the stops," Fabula said softly. "So everyone make sure to keep a reserve, like Lisa says. If we can't pull a win out of this, everything we've done up until now won't matter anymore. I know Kiri's got some very powerful summons he can use, and that Kaze and Aura likewise have more powerful Soil they've saved for times like this." She fingered the jewel that always hung at her forehead for a brief moment, then shifted in her seat and folded her arms, looking sadly down at the paper before them. "I… have powers that I can call on in a tight spot, as well… but there's a high probability that after I've done so, I'll be all but useless to you all." She shook her head. "Anyway, if we make our plans any more solid than this, something's certain to go wrong and we won't know how to handle it, so…"

Before she could finish her sentence, however, there was a great clamor from outside.

"What the—?" Kiri stood up sharply, his hand going to the hilt of his Maken.

The innkeeper, who'd been behind the counter polishing crockery, looked up with a frown. "Sounds like the warnings are being raised out there," he remarked. "The enemy must be in sight."

Aura swore. "And at a time like this, too… this just gets better and better." She smiled and stretched, then stood up. "Then again, I s'pose if something big and bad is out there and we kill it, that just makes our job easier. Wanna go help?"

"Do I!" Ai jumped up, grabbing her bow, her eyes sparkling at the thought of getting to use her new powers again. "Sitting around here would just be boring, anyway!"

"…………" As everyone else stood and retrieved weaponry, Kaze gave Lisa a worried glance, then followed the rest of them.

---

"Mind if we pitch in a little?" Kiri called as the six of them mounted the stairs to the ramparts, catching sight of Murrue.

The militia's assistant commander turned, surprised, then shook her head. "Not at all. Any help is welcome—the scouts were saying they saw Azrael Astaroth _himself _out there."

The party turned to each other with upraised eyebrows. This couldn't be any ordinary attack, then. Knowing that Ai was so close, he'd probably decided to bring his host with him and finish things quickly before they could travel to Ivalice and make things difficult.

"Well, hot damn, maybe we'll get the chance to finish things early if we're careful," Aura remarked with a surprised-looking shrug.

_"If _we're _careful," _Kiri repeated wryly.

Meanwhile, Murrue was handing out orders to her own troops. "Dearka, Yzak, deploy the hand-to-hand units in front of the gates! Nicol, Athrun, spread the archers and mages out along the front wall. Rey, make sure sentries are posted to the east and west walls—we have to be wary of any attacks from the sides. Move out!"

"Should we…?" Lisa ventured, but Kiri shook his head.

"Looks like these guys have the small fries pretty much in hand," he told her, pointing towards where the Bellebane militia had hit the ranks of Heartless approaching the town walls. The Heartless weren't actually spread out that thick in comparison to some of the sieges they'd seen, particularly those at Lukahn, Garoh, and Conkram. Though most of them were Darkballs and Invisibles—stronger Heartless—the Bellebane troops were handling themselves admirably, and not one of them was getting past their lines of defense.

"I guess all we have to do is find Azrael Astaroth, then," Fabula said, shaking her head. "Oh, I can hardly _wait."_

Wait was all they could really do—apparently, Rau had trained his people well, for all the Heartless that were attacking were rapidly being dealt with by Bellebane's soldiers. It was definitely a nice change for a military group to be able to put their money where their mouths were, but it also got a little bit boring not being able to do anything in a battle.

Suddenly, Ai pointed and yelled. "Hey—I think I see him!"

"Where?" Kiri followed her gaze, then headed to an open spot at the wall and leaned over, staring. "Ah—yeah, I see him. Slimy bastard. He's not even guarded by anyone—just moseying on over, taking his own sweet time. What's he up to?"

"He's up to _something, _and I'm betting it isn't good," Fabula remarked wryly.

As they watched, Azrael Astaroth drew up to the edges of the conflict, then leered up at them, holding up three of the glass flasks he used to call his twisted, uncontrollable summons. Squinting, Kiri could see that the first was filled with clear liquid, the second with something thick-looking and white, and the third with fluid so deep and richly red that it had to be blood.

"Mystarian," he called in a mocking voice. "I bring a gift from your kinsman."

Every muscle in Kiri's body tensed and his eyes widened as the implications of those words hit him like a blow to the stomach. Furious, he surged back to the wall. "If you've laid so much as a _finger _on him, then _so help me—"_

Hands grasped both of his shoulders, restraining him. "Kiri, _don't," _he heard Fabula hiss at him.

Viciously, Kiri fought down his killing fury, drawing his shattered self-control back together. Shaking with the effort, he growled down at the evil summoner, but did not take off to finish the bastard the way he so desperately wanted to.

As he watched, hate seething through his blood, Azrael Astaroth tossed all three into the air, and crushed them with his mace.

There was a violent burst of power through the immediate area, accompanied by black light so bright that Kiri and the others had to shield their faces.

At the deep, rumbling growl that echoed after the light and the power had faded, however, they all turned back to look.

"Holy shit," Kiri managed, mingled shock and horror plain on his face.

Whatever the summoned beast actually happened to be, it _looked _like an Ittouju—an Ittouju two or three times the size of the ones that Kiri and Kumo called, with webbed wings sprouting where a true Ittouju's crest ridges would've been. And whereas Kiri's Ittouju always seemed beautiful, majestic, and proud, this thing had warped features, and its huge jaws were curled in a constant snarl.

"…!" As the initial shock that had gripped everyone began to wear off, Kaze flipped his cloak back, baring the black-streaked Magun.

Aura, seeing him do it, dashed out in front of him and forced his arm back down. "Nuh-_uh! _No bloody way in _hell _am I gonna let you tangle with _that _thing in your condition!"

"And you… happen to have a better idea?" Kaze snapped back.

"As a matter of fact, _yes I do, _so keep your ass out of this one," she ordered, then turned to Kiri. "Listen—can you hold that thing off for me for a little while?"

"Uh—huh? I—I think so, yeah," Kiri replied, blinking.

"Then do it, 'cause this is going to take me a sec and that's more time than we have to waste," she told him. "Hurry, you idiot!"

Kiri shook his head to clear it, then pulled three Mist bottles from his belt and tossed them, lifting his Maken high. "Form the chains in the echoes of my voice! _Restrict! _The Carmine Suite!"

His summoned Ittouju rose into the air, looking pathetically small next to the behemoth Azrael Astaroth had created. Nevertheless, they still swept through the air at it, encircling the big dragon's body, tracing complex magical glyphs around it. It wasn't soon before the third one Kiri had called began to falter, but before it could be destroyed, Kiri tossed up a _second _pair of Mist bottles, again calling _"Restrict!" _as his new Ittouju took to the darkened skies.

"What's he _doing?" _Ai asked aloud, staring as Kiri called a sixth Ittouju to join the rest in their struggle to keep the big one sealed.

"I think—he's calling a series of low-level summons," Fabula explained, watching closely. "As long as they're not all very powerful, he can keep summoning them without draining too much of his own power, and the numbers will make up for any lack in strength." She hesitated; Kiri was panting, and there was sweat standing out on his face and clavicle. "Kiri, how long can you keep this up?"

"Only about another few minutes—_ugh." _Gritting his teeth, Kiri tossed up another. _"Restrict…!"_

"Aura…" Fabula said pleadingly, plainly worried.

"Yeah, I know!" With a sharp breath, Aura drew her revolvers. "Damn, never thought I'd have to use it _this _soon… Alright, everybody, get clear! You militia people, too—get inside if you can," she yelled, and Murrue, nearby, relayed the order to her men who were still on the ground.

Once she judged that everyone was a safe enough distance away, Aura released every valve on her revolvers and slowly squeezed the triggers until the barrels began to spin, pulses of power gathering along their silver length.

_This damn well better work, _she thought grimly, then crossed her wrists, raising her revolvers over her head. "Uphold the ancient pact, O Céstínà, Queen of Ice. Come forth from the never-ending darkness, the eternal glacier, and bring death to all that hast life. To smite mine enemy…"

Her guns were fairly flaming with power now. With a yell, she brought them to bear on Azrael Astaroth's summon.

"You are the place of eternal rest!"

She fired.

Members of Bellebane's militia would later describe it as a vast feeling of extreme cold sweeping over them, towards the mass of summoned monsters. Fabula would eventually explain the phenomenon—this ancient and destructive spell, not used in thousands of years, submerged the target and everything in its immediate area into temperatures of absolute zero. As soon as Aura's shot hit, Azrael Astaroth's summon and every Ittouju Kiri had called froze solid.

As Aura snapped her guns open and shook out the twenty-four spent casings, hastily jamming three black bullets into each one, Kiri gasped, clutched his chest, and staggered.

"You alright over there?" Aura demanded.

"Y-yeah… I should be," Kiri managed, ashen-faced and trembling.

"Well, good."

She moved back to the far edge of the ramparts, then ran forward and launched herself through the air, landing on the tail of the nearest Ittouju and dashing up its back to Azrael Astaroth's summon.

Glaring at it coldly, she aimed one revolver at it, then pulled the trigger back and spoke the ancient spell's release key.

_"End of the World."_

With that blast, the entwined dragons shattered into huge chunks of ice that rained down upon the battlefield. Sliding down the mostly-whole Ittouju as it fell, Aura dropped gracefully to the ground not three yards away from Azrael Astaroth himself.

"This ends here," she declared, pointing her loaded gun at him.

But Azrael Astaroth just laughed.

"What the hell is so funny?" Aura demanded.

"You've made it all too easy," he replied, leering at her. "But then, it was always meant to be. Welcome back to us, my dear princess."

Aura lowered her revolver slightly. "What are you talking about…?" she asked slowly, her Heartless-sense setting off a million warnings in the back of her mind.

"You'll see soon enough," was his only reply. "And then…? Then, you'll finally return home… to fulfill your true purpose."

Before Aura could move, the ground exploded into blackness under her feet, and then Azrael Astaroth was _right there, _slamming his fist viciously into her diaphragm.

Aura yelled with pain, and crumpled over his waiting arm—and then everything went black.

(TBC)


	31. Interlude: Danse Joyeuse

Kokoro no Hanashi

INTERLUDE

:Naze Nani:

**The Eight-Month Gap: **Uh, blame Sting for deciding to rerelease Riviera on the PSP and for making Yggdra Union such an addictive game…? I'm a baaaad, bad little author. (Did I really _have _to leave off at such a bad point?! Don't hurt me!!) Still, I got to finish a lot of stuff for those fandoms—which you can always look at while you're waiting for me to update, you know!

**The End of Innocence/Substance Abuse: **Hey, did I not WARN you that I am evil when it comes to writing?! Don't worry, though—I'm just about done picking on Kiri as far as KnH goes. Juuuust about… (dodges kitchen appliances) Hee. Don't worry, though, I _know _I deserve readers' ire on that one. A lot of KnH has centered on Kiri's inner struggles, and this story arc definitely epitomizes the conflict of the worthlessness he feels versus his drive to be the one to save Kumo in the end. This event has ended that inner debate for now.

**Familiarity:** In the last scene of "The End of Innocence", Kiri remarks early on that the room where Kara sexually assaults him seems familiar somehow. You should be able to figure out why if you reread the story up to a certain point, or if you just remember early details very well. First person to get it right will get big bragging rights.

**Titles: **As I'm sure you all know, the title "Substance Abuse" is not literal. It's a reflection of Kiri's mental and emotional state as compared to what he _should _be doing and the fact that he's given up. The title itself is adapted from the title of an Eureka Seven episode (GOD I love that show to little itty bitty bits).

**Titles Continued:** "The Cage of Dreams" is the title of the mission beginning the main character's storyline in Legend of Mana. The five pieces of jewelry used in it are the area names in the dungeon involved in that mission, and each one corresponds to one of the stages in Kiri's Dive to Heart. (Other than the descent, which is seen by some as a separate stage. I just saw it as a time for a really pretty, really cute Cloudshipping scene. D'aww, everyone loves romance, riiight?)

**Fuyushin: **This was a really, reeeally fun area to design!! I looove DNAngel, and probably my favorite story arc so far in that lovely, lovely manga is the Second Hand of Time arc. Fuyushin is indeed spelled with the kanji for "winter" and "god" (although it's also a homonym for "winter heart", also translatable as "frozen heart", an artifact from Legend of Mana!), and the basis for it stems from the frozen town Daisuke enters when the Toki no Byoushin takes him into his own painting so he can save Freedert. It was also nice to have a Heartless-free scenario, much like the Winnie the Pooh and Nightmare Before Christmas story arcs in Kingdom Hearts.

**The DNAngel Plot:** As all fans know, DNAngel canon is not complete yet. I am referring, of course, to the manga, because while the anime is good, it also ended before the manga was complete and ended up stopping at a weird point and twisting plot around because of that. Because the plot is not complete, of course, I couldn't ACTUALLY elucidate the whole situation between the Hikari and Niwa families—I could only really write what little has been told in the manga so far. Hence Riku telling Ai about it rather than Daisuke or Satoshi themselves.

**Kiri's Dive to Heart:** It ONLY took him twenty-three chapters to get there. (rolls eyes at Kiri) It's probably hella obvious to some of you what's going on with him by now, but it seems like some people haven't figured things out yet, so I'll enjoy throwing you all for a loop about how it's going to _actually _happen. Neehee. Ai was actually supposed to be the central character in the Cage of Dreams arc, but Kiri's Dive to Heart was just so fun to write that he wound up stealing the stage! (Argh!! _Kiri, _give a chick a chance, will ya?!)

**Ai's Awesome New Powers of Kill:** In case anyone still needs a visual on that, picture Kagome and Kikyo's sacred arrows from Inuyasha—only about a hundred times MORE so. Yay, Ai actually gets the chance to really DO stuff now!!!

**Port Bellebane:** Bellebane is an herb used as a stat booster in Tales games. I don't know if it actually exists in real life, but hey, the name is _cool, _and the name of an exotic herb is perfect for a trading hub.

**Feral is a fangirl like whoa:** Rau-sama isn't the kind of person who goes around making a big deal out of his personal skill, so the only way to really explain what he's done for his people (even though he hates a great deal of them -coughLaFlagafamilycough!-) was to get some of his handpicked subcommanders (i.e., his unit of elite pilots in canon along with Rey za Burrel, whose connection to him I won't spoil for people unfamiliar with GSD) to fanboy over him.

And hey, seriously, COULD I pass up a chance to cast my beloved bishie in a more favorable light than he's given in the series he belongs to?

(The answer, to those who haven't figured already, is HELL NO.)

**Other Gundam SEED additions to Bellebane:** Murrue Ramius is the captain of the Archangel in GS canon, and is the oft-beleaguered leader of the small crew of heroes on the show. Aside from being a very likable girl, she's also Mu's sweetheart. Here, she's Mu and Rau's childhood friend. They have a whole backstory in the KnH universe, and it totally frustrates me that I don't get to write about it (argh!!!). Another face you might recognize is that of the innkeeper, who's actually Andy Waltfeld (better known as the Desert Tiger). His kebab argument with Ai and the others much resembles one he has with Cagalli in GS canon, mostly because that scene was just plain made of ell oh ell and ecks dee. And just so that Yzak fans won't think I neglected him, he's the first person to, uh, yell at our heroes for getting too close. I couldn't put him in anywhere else because he's rather bitchy and he's the only character here who comes remotely near me in adoration of Rau-sama. Which would equal a ten-page rant on his awesomeness, and while I'd be happy writing that, I do want to keep things on track here.

**Why the lack of Kira?: **I detest Kira for personal reasons, so there was about a snowball's chance in hell of him showing up in KnH. I already had all the subcommanders I needed, and I had Rey for the leader of the scouts and sentries. SOOOO THERE, STUPID KIRA.

**Personal reasons?:** Okay, look, I am a RAU-SAMA FANGIRL. Is it REEEALLY probable that I am going to have much tolerance for the character who _kills him in canon? _I DON'T THINK SO EITHER!!

**Yummy Heartshipping: **Hey, this fic is rated M for more than just Kiri getting raped, you know. There will be faar more positive reasons too, much like Kaze and Lisa's little scene here. (Did that make you Heartshippers happy? I bet it diiid…)

**Aura's Ice Spell: **The freaking fawesome spell Aura uses in the chapter "Scherzo di Notte" is adapted from a spell used by Evangeline A.K. McDowell in the manga series Negima!; the original spell is incanted in ancient Greek, which is also translated into Latin, Japanese, and English for the benefit of the readers. (However, DelRey's Latin and Greek translations are often at least partially made of fail, so I can't make any promises for accuracy for those who'd prefer I use the actual, canonical Negima! spell.) It's partially mixed with a card incantation from Yggdra Union because the incantation Evangeline uses is so similar to it. Cestina, the queen referenced here, is an ancient Undine queen in Yggdra Union canon, minus all the funky accents.

**Why just now?: **Aura explains it herself—setting up a big spell like that takes a _lot _of time and effort, and in the heat of battle, you haven't always got that luxury.

**What is up with that CLIFFHANGER, anyway?!: **Remember how long, long ago I said there was a reason why Aura is always so bitchy and that there was a lot of backstory put into her characterization?

Mmmm-hmmmmmmm.

If you've been paying extra-super-close attention, you've already got half the clues yourself, but over the next two chapters, you'll learn everything you ever wanted to know about KnH Aura (and possibly a few things you didn't) but were afraid to ask. There are plenty of other secrets that are going to be revealed over the next two or three chapters too, but I can't even mention much about those, because it'll get us into SUPER-DUPER-OMG-SPOILER territory, and HEY, you're reading this story for a REASON, right?

The next few chapters will probably be a bit shorter than the stuff you've been reading so far, because we're getting towards the end of the story (OMG, there is actually an END!!!!) and in between shocking plot twists, new story details, character development, and so on, the chapters ahead are likely to be very battle-heavy.

What I _can_ tell you, though? All you pairing fiends and Cupids out there? Look forward to chapter 28 especially (it'll be posted as, I don't know, about chapter 35 or something around there). I've been working on that chapter since shortly after I started the story, and I'd like to think it's nearing perfection, because I don't mean to post it until it's as good as it could possibly get. Hee. I might take a while to get there, but try to indulge me, 'kay?

**Where have I been all this time?:** Largely, I've been working on stuff in the Riviera and Yggdra Union categories (seriously, there would be like. next to _no _Yggdra Union category without me; I've written roughly half the stuff in there), and finished up one of my biggest projects so far—the Riviera story "The Tainted" (which is actually my most-reviewed work, with **109** reviews at this very moment!!!!). Other than that, I've been poking around with oneshots in various categories like Kingdom Hearts, Eureka Seven, and Baten Kaitos.

**Where will I be, other than on KnH?: **Aside from finishing up little projects, hopefully getting moving on Midnight again and MAYBE finally starting Minuet Caprice, look for me in the Tales of Legendia section. That game is seriously a hundred and twenty percent pure love, I am telling you. And hey, Kazuto Nakazawa was the character designer (and you _know _how he loves to sneak in characters who look like people from his previous works! Just look at Fuu from Samurai Champloo; there's a _reason _she has Ai's hairdo!!), so if for no other reason, look into it because of Senel. He looks like Kumo, acts like Kiri, and is very messed-up and huggable and d'aww.

(Annnd, yeah. You may ignore that blatant PLAY-THIS-GAME plug if you so choose. /shifty eyes)

**Where can I be found?: **Well, sadly, because I had a few nasty people stalking my private life on eljay, my blog has become friends-only (if you have an eljay and I know you're one of my reviewers, pop in and I will likely friend you), but you can find my art, graphics, and fanfic updates on my community, flightworks. (Find it at flightworks-dot-livejournal-dot-com!) Or you can always PM me.

**Review Policy: **I like reviews. I like them on all my chapters. They don't have to be novels (although I do appreciate nice long well-thought-out reviews!), but I like them _there, _so that I know what parts of my writing and my plots that people enjoyed so that I can improve on what I do. I _know _there are people reading KnH and several of my other stories who _don't _review them, because I get email alerts whenever someone faves something of mine. And when I am getting _buried _in fave spam and yet there are _no _new reviews on _anything, _it's easy to understand why I am _this close _to tracking down and yelling at people who fave my things and then _don't review them. _I know who you all are, because the emails so kindly tell me.

Review. So that I don't have to send my ninjas after you. YOU. HAVE. BEEN. WARNED.

**Review Incentive:** By the way, did y'all know that I now do oneshot requests for the people who are my 25th, 50th, 75th, and 100th reviewers and so on? Yeah. Feel like at least dropping me a line or two _now?_ (I really, really want KnH to break a hundred reviews before the end!! YOU KNOW THIS FIC DESERVES IT, pitch in!!!)

**Oookay, now that I am done blatantly advertising, I'm going to devote this interlude to a key moment in the development of an unlikely but extremely cute friendship. Because this part of the story otherwise wouldn't get told and it deserves to. It takes place a few weeks after the Isu refugees joined up with the Comodeen in Lukahn, or basically when Kiri and company were having Fun Times in Conkram. Enjoy it, because the short person entourage is love!**

---

Danse Joyeuse

"_Now we'll walk the roads together that I used to walk alone."_

---

"High—middle—low—"

The clack of wood on wood rang through the Comodeen's mess hall, which had been mostly cleared of tables. Several members of the resistance army who were off-duty had gathered to sit along them and were watching as they relaxed.

"Strengthen your blocks a bit—yes, good—now, let's see your offense—"

Fungo chewed the edge of a broken plate as he looked on with interest. Since a little after the refugees had gotten here, Rau had started these daily sessions, working with first Sora and then Riku every afternoon to instruct them both in the finer details of swordplay.

Right now it was Riku's turn, and the two of them were fencing back and forth with a pair of wooden swords borrowed from the Comodeen's stores. The silver-haired boy's bright aquamarine eyes were wide and focused, and he was breathing hard, intent on keeping up the complex drill for as long as he could. As for Rau, he'd pulled his white-blonde hair back into a short horsetail, but as far as Fungo could see, he hadn't even broken a sweat yet. Riku's skills were obviously improving, maybe to the point where he could actually join the Comodeen in real combat, but he was still nowhere near Rau's level—the earth psychic looked almost like he was dancing, and his movements were effortless. Fungo was pretty sure Riku wouldn't last _that _much longer.

He was right, too. Riku hesitated for a moment, and Rau took advantage of his pause to step forward and disarm him with a flourish.

Riku groaned, shook his head with a resigned grin, and bent down, panting. "Ouch. I think that's about thirty-nine-zip, your favor."

An amused smile crossed Rau's face as he set his wooden sword aside. "…You're keeping _score?"_ Several of the audience members chuckled. "Don't be too hard on yourself; your skills have improved vastly over the past few days. We'll make a competent swordsman out of you yet."

Sora grinned at his friend from one of the benches. "Yeah, Riku, you shouldn't feel bad. At least _you _get the blocks right." He'd been forced to end _his _daily session a bit early when his fingers had gotten badly banged in just one such fumbled block; Kairi was using her magic to patch him up where they sat.

"Sit still and stop wiggling," Kairi admonished with a giggle, bopping him on the head. He made a face, then followed her orders.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like to try, as well?" Rau asked her.

To the vast amusement of many of the watchers, Kairi blushed and hid behind her free hand. "It's not like I wouldn't love to, but… hee, I wouldn't be able to come every day since I'm working with Aki. I'd get behind. And I'd probably be really bad, anyway."

"The offer's always open." Rau shook his head, then pulled his hair loose. "If you're sure for today, I suppose I'd better head out and encourage that idiot brother of mine to take the watch as he's supposed to for once. I'm fed up with doing more than my fair share."

As he left, Fungo suddenly remembered why he'd come in here anyway. Watching the sword lessons had been cool and entertaining, but also distracting. His purpose renewed in his mind, he headed over to where Riku had joined his friends.

"You sure you don't have anything I need to take care of?" Kairi was asking him shrewdly as she finished off her basic healing on Sora's bruised hands.

"Nope, I'm good." Riku stretched. "And it's not like I don't appreciate it, but still, if I have you take care of every little bump and scratch I get, I'll never build up any kind of tolerance to pain, and I won't be a very good fighter."

Kairi rolled her eyes at him. "You don't have to be so _manly _all the time," she complained. "Well, _Aki _will probably want some help with everyone else, even if _you _don't appreciate me."

"Aw, _I _appreciate you enough for all three of us," Sora whined. "Without you, I'd always be all ouchy every day, Kairiiiii!"

"Maybe you wouldn't be 'all ouchy every day' if you weren't so _hopeless _with that sword," Riku teased, poking Sora in the forehead.

"Ri-_kuuuuu, _you're such a meanie," Sora pouted, half-grinning. Riku and Kairi laughed.

"Hey, guys," Fungo said, cheerfully announcing his presence.

"Oh—hey, Fungo!" Kairi turned to him with a big smile. "Wasn't that fun to watch?"

"It sure was!"

"Is it time to go help Cid already?" Sora asked—the two of them usually pitched in with kitchen duty, the same way that Kairi earned her keep in the infirmary and Riku helped to maintain the watch.

"No—actually, I was wondering if anybody knew where Presea was," Fungo told them.

"Presea?" All three of them changed baffled looks. "Um—she's usually up on the rooftops somewhere this time of day. But…"

"She's usually off by herself, so she must be lonely," Fungo reasoned. "I figure she could use a little cheering up, right?"

"Well, if anyone can do it, you can," Kairi told him, her smile returning. "Good luck."

---

Just as Sora, Riku, and Kairi had said, Presea was sitting on the edge of a roof of one of the abandoned buildings on the outskirts of the Comodeen's holdings. She was staring out into the distance in absolute silence, and even if Fungo _weren't _an Empathetic, the aura of old grief and despair settled over her would still have been palpable.

Still, Fungo wasn't about to give up. His talents were still developing, and he couldn't lessen other people's pain with little more than a thought like some of his people had been able to, but he knew right down to his core that feeling like Presea did for too long not only hurt your heart, but it made your soul sick. No one, Fungo believed firmly, should linger in their sadness for any longer than they had to.

"Hey," he called, his habitual cheer impervious to Presea's halo of gloom.

She turned to him, curiosity and confusion sparking in her otherwise blank forget-me-not eyes. "…?"

"You keep missing lunch, so here, I brought you some," Fungo said brightly, holding out one of the food-covered plates he'd brought with him.

"…Th-thank you," Presea said with a surprised expression. As she accepted it, Fungo sat next to her and began to enthusiastically clean his own plate.

He'd already had lunch today, of course, but food was food, right? It shouldn't be wasted—it had to be eaten when it was still nice and fresh.

Once he was done with what was _on _the plate, Fungo treated himself to his second lunch-dessert of the day: the plate itself. As he finished it off with gusto, Presea just watched him with a look like she wasn't sure whether she was supposed to be amused or worried by his behavior. Fungo didn't mind.

"C'mon," he said, standing up and grabbing Presea's hand. "There's something I want you to see!"

"Wh…?" Tugged along, Presea shook her head helplessly even as she followed. "Where…?"

"You'll see when we get there," Fungo laughed. They charged down the stairs to the streets, Presea's plate long forgotten on the rooftop.

Towing Presea in his wake, Fungo made his way through the mazelike streets, winding just around the outskirts of the town until the two of them had finally arrived at the ruins of a house, most of its roof and the upper halves of the walls gone. Fungo led Presea through the door, and into the middle of the central room. Many of the floorboards had been partially torn up, displaying the mostly-bare ground beneath the ruins.

"This place…?" Presea looked around uncertainly and turned to Fungo expectantly, clearly confused.

"I used to live here before the Heartless started attacking everybody," he explained to her.

"I'm… sorry," she said disjointedly, no doubt understanding full well what it meant that his old home was like this.

"But come over here and take a look," Fungo insisted, pointing at the open space of ground.

Presea slowly crossed the broken floor to kneel at his side, then blinked in surprise at what she saw.

It had surprised Fungo at first, too. What looked like bald ground from afar actually had a thin carpet of soft green moss over it, and tender leaves and buds of clover and tiny blue and purple flowers were scattered here and there, as well. There was a small red plant in the center, its leaves and flowers bright with the butterflies perched on it.

Light was spilling all over the room now because of the missing parts of the ceiling, and since the floor was torn-up too, it had given the flowers the chance to bloom. Presea reached out tentatively to the plants with a look of wonder on her face, one that only grew as one of the butterflies on the big flower fluttered off its lurid petals to perch on her small hand.

"Sometimes it gets hard, fighting all the time," Fungo said with a shrug. "But whenever I feel like I'm going to get angry or sad, I come back here. I had a lot of fun times growing up in this house, and it's good to remember—and to see that now, other things will have fun memories here too. Good things can happen even after tragic ones. It's a nice reminder, and it makes me feel good—like, you know, if we all keep trying there'll always be hope. Even if it rains, I can believe tomorrow will be sunny for sure!"

When Presea looked up at him, there were tears on her face, but then she wiped them away with her free hand and gave him the most brilliant smile he'd ever seen.

"…Yeah."

(TBC)


	32. The Endless Ballad

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

Silence.

They'd been sitting together in the main room of the inn for at least thirty minutes now, with no sound but the steady pulse of the grandfather clock in the corner marking off time. Kaze and Lisa were side-by-side, Kaze with a horrible look of dead shock on his face, Lisa watching him worriedly, her hand on his shoulder. Ai had claimed a chair a short distance from them, also watching with concern; Kiri was leaning against the counter, still trying to puzzle out what could possibly have changed and why this had happened. Fabula was standing with her back to them all, staring resolutely at the door, her hands fisted and shaking slightly.

"What do we do now?" Ai asked finally.

There was a short silence, and then Fabula answered her. "I'm going."

Everyone but Kaze turned towards her. "Going? What are you talking about?"

She whirled around and glared at them, and Kiri stepped back quickly as he saw that her face was twisted with vicious fury. "I'm going to rescue her! I won't let them use her for whatever it is they're planning—I'd rather die! So I'm going, with or without the rest of you!"

Alarmed, Kiri crossed the room, grabbing her shoulders. "You aren't going _anywhere _by yourself—you're the one who said we had to think before we rushed in and got killed!" As she glared at him, he shook his head and let go of her. "Fabula—please believe me when I say that I know how you feel." He touched the Keyblade pendant that hung beneath his shirt, clenching his fist over it. "I know better than _anyone _what you're going through right now. And that's why I won't let you go alone—I _can't. _We're going to save Aura, and we're all going together."

Fabula took a deep breath and closed her eyes, clearly biting something back—tears, or a fierce retort, or just the desire to run out despite his words, Kiri didn't know. But when she opened them again, her expression had softened a bit. "Thank you, Kiri. And we are going. We _will _all go. But there's one thing we need to do here, and we need to do it _now."_

As Kiri and the others watched, nonplussed, Fabula crossed the room to stand in front of Kaze, staring at him coldly, expectantly.

He looked up at her, despair written plainly on his usually impassive face.

"I can understand your desire to hold your silence, but for everyone's sake, you can't any longer. Aura's heart is anything but pure—but there is a definite reason that that _bastard _took her away. I think that all of us understand by now that Aura is no ordinary human. No human without very specialized abilities gained through years and years of training could ever do the things that she is capable of. That must be the reason they wanted her—they know. And I think it's about time you tell us, too—_who is Aura?"_

Kaze remained silent.

"I will not allow you to jeopardize her life, Kaze," Fabula said softly, and there was a razor-sharp, frozen threat plain in her words. "Tell us the truth, and tell us now."

After another long silence in which everyone stared at him expectantly, Kaze sighed and began to speak, trying to fit his story through his broken sentences.

"Aura and I…" He hesitated. "She does not know this, but… we are not true siblings… nor are we even related by blood at all. She was… adopted into our family… when she was an infant. The story… I don't know all the details… I was only a child, and… things tend to be kept from children. But… I will tell you what I remember."

Kaze looked towards Kiri and shook his head. "Your people… and mine have always disagreed… upon our use of guns, upon our search… into the earth's depths for our metals… upon our use of technology. But… in some ways, Mystaria… Madoushi, your people are right… that things sleep beneath the surface of this world… that should never be disturbed.

"Eighteen years ago… when Aura was born… there was an expedition. A mine, beneath… the central city of Windaria… where I lived. It was… expanded, in a search… for minerals… and eventually, the miners found… a door, deep in the earth below the capital."

Here, Fabula drew in a slow breath, her eyes going wide.

"The workers… were curious, and they… opened the door. Through it… the Heartless first entered this world…"

"Oh my God," Lisa whispered, clearly horrified. Kiri knew how she felt. The Heartless were in this world because of _Windaria? _Even given the historic prejudice between their races, Kiri just couldn't believe that even Kaze's people were capable of such a thing.

"They… didn't know. Panic… spread though our country… the warnings of the Mystarians, that… we had never heeded… turned out to be justified. Our people fought… I can remember… my parents, my family… going into battle… being locked inside our home, alone… fearing… hoping… praying for their lives…"

"Oh, Kaze…" Lisa clutched his arm, covering a gasp of sympathy as tears sprang to her eyes. A shadow of horror crossed Ai's face as she listened, and Kiri remembered the fateful night when the Heartless had attacked his home, the mass panic that had occurred there, the struggle to reseal the barriers in time… His throat clutched tight as Kumo's fate burned unbidden in his mind's eye, and he watched Kaze with bitter sympathy.

"The Heartless… began to spread. It seemed that… they would overwhelm us, but…" Kaze shook his head and hesitated. "…Our people have long believed… that there were other worlds, worlds beside this one, and…"

"There are. It's very much true," Fabula said, nodding. "There are as many worlds in the multiverse as there are stars in the sky."

Something about that pulled at Kiri's memory, but whatever it was faded away before he could decipher its meaning. Shaking his head, he focused on Kaze again. This was going to be important, he felt.

"Help arrived… from another world," Kaze continued, closing his eyes. "People who… knew of the Heartless, and said that… their duty was to protect the worlds from them, preserve the balance… between darkness and light… strange people. They were led by their King… I remember meeting him myself… a strange, small person, but… he had a weapon he called a _Keyblade… _and a power we all had to respect…

"With the help of those people… we drove the Heartless back, destroyed all of those… still lingering in our world… that we could find… and the King said he would lock the door… but when they went to do so, they said… that something else came through the door with the Heartless. A baby. Some… wanted to destroy it, thinking… it was a Heartless ploy, but… the King said we should keep it. My parents… volunteered to raise it… and that was… how Aura came to us.

"I barely… saw her, in the first few years. My parents… kept her away from others… but she seemed human as a child, when they finally allowed her out. She… never knew… she wasn't like the rest of us… wasn't from this world. She was… different from us in ways, but… until now…"

"…………" Fabula shook her head. "She's never been any less of a sister to you, has she?"

Kaze shook his head.

"Those people—they must know who and what she really is. That means that this is connected to back then. That this time, when the door was opened, and the last time, when the Heartless came… there's something they mean to do in this world. We can't know everything, because we don't have every detail, but… we _do _know that these people have a purpose, and that they might think Aura has something to do with it." Fabula glared at the floor. "Damn it… we don't have any time to waste. Kaze—thank you for telling us this. We have to go now. They don't need Aura's heart, but…"

"But we know that those people are capable of anything," Kiri said bitterly, banishing thoughts of Kara. "So—Fabula's right, we do have to go. We stick to the plan we made before. If we can't handle it, we pull out and think of something better. We stay close, and don't let anything distract us from saving Kumo and Aura and the kids." His eyes went cold. "That Azrael Astaroth bastard made a _big _mistake, taking Aura like that. If he had to take someone, he should've taken Ai, so he could've settled whatever it is he's trying to do. But he can't do that now. So it's our move, and this is the only time we can go."

"Yeah. Let's get Yu and Clear and everyone," Ai said, standing up and clenching her fists, a fierce battle light in her eyes.

"Kaze…" Lisa's gaze did not waver from his face.

"…Agreed," he said at last.

The road to the final battle was before them at last.

---

The journey to Ivalice was far more uneventful than Kiri had expected, considering that they were heading straight into enemy territory. Not a single Heartless attacked, right up to the moment the party arrived at the city gates.

Kiri had seen beautiful architecture on the surface world before, but never like this. The stone-carved walls towered high above them, with amber and glass and precious stones worked in to catch the light. The gates themselves, which stood slightly open as if to welcome them, were wrought of beautiful iron designs, a spiraling design of roses and dragons curling over and around the name of the city itself, written in at least three different languages.

"Nallorn and Gaedrian," he said softly. "This is a marvel."

Their party drew to a halt, and Lisa held her hands and staff out, closing her eyes.

"I can feel the presence of many Heartless within these gates," she told them, "but I can definitely feel Aura's spirit as well. There are two or three very evil spirits here, and I can sense the purity of the children… Ai… Yu, Clear, and Lou… their hearts are somewhere within this city. And…"

"I know. I can feel it too," Kiri said in a grave tone. He found the Keyblade pendant beneath his shirt and clutched it again, feeling the beat of his heart beneath his desperately clenched fingers. "Kumo is here."

"Are you sure?" Ai asked.

"Definitely. I'd know that power anywhere," Kiri replied, absolute confidence in his every word. "He's calling to me."

"Look," Fabula said, steel in her voice. As Kaze armed his shotgun, they all stared back down at the gate. There were black shapes emerging from the ground, working their way up through the stone steps to form solid bodies.

"Heartless," Kiri whispered unnecessarily.

But these Heartless were different from the others they had faced before. As their shapes solidified, Kiri realized that they took nearly-human forms, but solid black with yellow eyes. They each bore shadowy weapons—three with swords, one with a staff, and one with knives.

"I guess they're gatekeepers," Lisa said as the five Heartless stared at them. "I think they want us to prove our worthiness to enter this place in battle."

"Just what we need, Heartless that _think," _Kiri muttered, but he held his Maken out before him as Ai drew an arrow, Fabula drew her chakrams, and Lisa shifted her grip on her staff.

The Heartless in front turned to the others and said something in a series of squeaks that Kiri didn't comprehend at all, but it must have meant something to the others, because suddenly each of the Heartless was running forward.

"……" Kaze glared at them, and shot; although the Heartless he'd aimed at dodged the brunt of his attack, the bullet appeared to graze its arm, and it squealed and veered out of the way of further opposition.

"Well, how do you like _this?" _Ai demanded, shooting one of her light bolts. This one caught the Heartless that Kaze had attacked square in the chest; unlike other Heartless, it didn't vanish, but it did make a dispirited "kyuuuu" sound and sank to the ground, offering no further resistance.

"Sonofa—!" Kiri found himself facing all three of the sword-wielding Heartless at once, as the one that used knives veered towards Fabula.

"Kiri, can you handle them?" she called, spinning around behind her opponent and slicing it viciously along its back.

"Hmph." Kiri parried their blows, then ran his hand down the flat of his Maken, dark magic pulsing around it, and plunged it into the chest of one of the Heartless, satisfaction quirking his lips into a bitter smile as he felt part of its power drain away into the sword itself. With a yell, he pulled his sword back, then ignited the air around it with a thought and spun in a tight circle, slamming all three back in a brutal Flare Sword.

The Heartless lay where they'd fallen, all of them staring at Kiri and the others with those big, blank yellow eyes.

"Are you going to let us through _now?" _Kiri asked threateningly, transforming his Maken in case they felt like going another round.

The Heartless made "kyu" noises, and sank slowly back into the earth. When the last traces of them had disappeared, the party headed towards the gates.

"That was weird," Ai remarked as they passed through. "Those Heartless seemed a lot more human than all the ones we've seen before."

"They must've been strong, then, not to lose themselves completely when they lost their hearts," Lisa said softly, shaking her head.

"Huh?"

"Didn't you know?" Lisa asked, starting to frown.

"Know what?" Ai retorted, blinking.

"You don't know—what the Heartless really are?"

"No, but knowing might be nice," Kiri put in. "Why don't you enlighten us, since you seem to know all about it, then?"

Lisa looked from one of them to the next, bewildered. "You really…?"

"I know," Fabula said from Lisa's other side. "I don't think any of them do, though. It's not really fair that they've come this far without knowing what they're really fighting. It would be kinder now to just tell them."

"Tell us what?" Kiri wanted to know.

"Things were different with Lou, and with Yu and Clear and I suppose Kumo as well, but…" Lisa shook her head. "Usually when someone loses his or her heart, their body vanishes, doesn't it?"

"Yeah," Ai replied.

"To be more precise, their bodies dissolve into darkness," Fabula went on, taking up the explanation for Lisa, who didn't seem to want to continue. "Without the heart, a mortal's soul usually can't retain hold on its instincts, and the strongest instincts in any living creature are those to preserve life—and because of the half-life an existence without a heart is, that instinct becomes the desire to have a true life back. What remains of someone who's lost their heart becomes wholly focused on having a heart again, and they are consumed by the desire to take one from anyone nearby. Most people whose hearts are taken by the Heartless… become Heartless themselves."

_"What?"_

The party halted in the middle of the street. Kiri, Kaze, and Ai were all staring at Lisa and Fabula, with identically horrified expressions on their faces.

"You mean we've been fighting _people _all this time?" Ai half-wailed.

"Then, the Heartless we've been killing all this time… they could've been people we'd known, people who could've lived again if they had their hearts returned…" Kiri shook his head.

"Why…?" was all Kaze said.

"I-I… I thought you all knew," Lisa protested, looking back and forth between them.

"It's an ugly truth, and it's easier to fight the Heartless if you _don't _know," Fabula said, shaking her head. "But it still all comes down to survival. The Heartless in this town don't seem to be attacking us. Either they're being held off by orders of their masters, or they, too, have retained claim of part of their humanity. You can't compensate for the things you did without knowing… all you can do is focus on what it is you need to do, and hope you won't have to fight many more of them."

"…………" They looked at each other helplessly. Fabula was right, though—if it were for any other reason they could've turned their backs on battle, but the lives depending on them now were too important for them not to save.

Even at the cost of formerly human lives.

---

Ivalice was a big town—it had been the capital, after all. But without the constant Heartless attacks that they had expected, the walk down the long central road to the bastion in the center of the city seemed unusually short. The only thing that stretched out any of the time was the uneasy feeling that ran through all their hearts.

It wasn't long before Kaze's Magun arm began to ache, his heart's wounded pulse beginning to speed up. Then came the sense of abject wrongness he always felt, whenever his dark image was near.

"…Lisa."

She turned towards him as Kiri, Fabula, and Ai cast a few glances in their direction. "Yes, Kaze, what is it?" she asked, confused.

"He's here… probably waiting for us at the gate," Kaze said softly. Lisa didn't need to be told who it was that he was referring to.

"Kaze…"

"This… is something I must do alone," he told her, looking to the others to make sure they understood. "…Please. Unless you must, do not interfere."

"Alright." Kiri was the first one to agree. "I understand how that feels. Just try to settle the score as fast as you can—we haven't got that much time to spare."

"Understood."

"It's fine with me, too," Fabula added. "As long as I'm the one who gets to blast Azrael Astaroth into next Tuesday, I don't really care what you do."

"Not like I have any problems, either," Ai put in.

"Lisa." Kaze turned back to her.

She sighed, clearly unhappy. "…I know… I know. Just…" She turned to look up at him, and her eyes were bright with half-formed tears. "Just please be careful…"

"………" Kaze did not reply with words, but he reached out to take her hand. As they made their way to the bastion gate, she squeezed it tightly.

As soon as they'd gotten within a few yards of the steps, the open gate to the bastion exploded with darkness. Black tendrils spilled over the stairs, and Lisa pressed close to Kaze, shivering, as Kiri and Fabula flanked Ai protectively.

"So you have come," the mocking voice caroled from within the bastion.

Kaze tensed as his dark specter walked into the open, arms outstretched. There was the usual slow crawl of fear as he saw the thing's black grin, but that fear was forced aside by anger as Kaze remembered what this creature had done to him, to his companions—to the pure-hearted little girl who'd adored him so.

And besides—this thing was standing between him and Aura.

"Protect the others," he said quietly to Lisa. As she released him, he walked past his companions, clenching his fist and stretching out his fingers.

He heard Lisa sigh behind him, then felt the air ripple and knew his fellows were shielded.

Letting the hate he felt boil into his eyes, Kaze raised the dark-streaked Magun from beneath his cloak, pointing it decisively at the mirror-demon. "Out of the way," he growled.

"I bid you welcome in the name of my master," the demon said with a wicked smile, bowing mockingly. "If you wish to reclaim what you have lost, you must defeat me—if you can, with your heart so tainted. You are only a few steps away from being consumed by darkness."

"We'll see," Kaze retorted, the words rough in his throat as he fought down that flicker of fear again. There could be no fear. Those he loved were depending on him.

"Then come to me," was the demon's response. Darkness washed up around it—a darkness that was familiar, and sent pain writhing through Kaze's heart and up his right arm.

He growled to himself. So. So that was it—that was why this thing was taking his form. The attack when he and Aura had crossed the border from Proxia to Archaea, that swarm of Heartless, protecting something formless—it had been a difficult battle, lasting for days as they fought and ran and fought and ran until finally the Heartless had all but overwhelmed them, and that darkness had wound its way into the Magun as Kaze had tried to summon… it had been this creature then, too.

There could be no fear. Pushing away all worries for his own fate, Kaze thought of Aura—then of Lisa, and only of Lisa.

_"Soil is my power!"_

And there was no fear. There was the brilliant rush of wind, and the usual shock of ache as his bare arm was exposed, a sharp pain, and then the adrenaline rush that charged with his elevated heartbeat and the dizziness as his blood rushed readily into the chamber of the Magun.

Now, what Soil to choose… what beast to call to destroy what was now, in essence, a warped reflection of himself?

He thought of Lisa again, of the light she radiated when she tried to heal those in need. Of the way she made his weary heart shine with thoughts of what he wanted to be. And the answer was obvious.

And so, Kaze drew his Soil.

"The lingering protection of love—_Esper Green!"_

He flicked the bullet home with a practiced, thoughtless motion, barely pausing to hear its radiant tone as it hit the metal of his soul.

"The anger of the warring sky—_Storm Violet!"_

By the time the second Soil had joined the first, Kaze was already drawing the third.

"And finally, the light that erases the darkness—_Solar White!"_

Kaze's finger tightened on the trigger, and he raised the Magun high. "Now—brighten! I summon you—_Shokanju Maduin!"_

There was an explosion of brilliance as he fired, and the surrounding area was wrapped in white smoke. When it cleared, the shining figure of Maduin the Esper, one of Kaze's most powerful light summons, hung in midair—an eight-foot-tall, vaguely human figure with a thick green mane, curved horns, gray-violet skin, and a holy aura so strong it was almost overpowering.

"So, you think you can defeat me with this?" The mirror-demon waved a hand, and tendrils of shadow swept through the air, binding the summon's body.

From behind him, Kaze heard Ai cry out. He did not move, and kept thoughts of Lisa blazing brightly in his heart. Maduin's brilliant halo intensified, and the creature threw off the darkness with a roar.

The mirror-demon was saying something Kaze blatantly ignored, focusing hard on Lisa. Maduin raised its arms into the air, and a pillar of white light shone onto the gate, striking the stone with one bright, solid tone.

The mass of darkness at the gate writhed and lashed out, wrapping around Kaze's body as if to suffocate him and slamming into Lisa's shield, muffling all sound and tightening around Kaze's throat and chest and arm, slithering into the gaps around the Magun, pulsing as if to squeeze right into his heart.

Through the pain, Kaze closed his eyes and forced everything out—everything but the girl who saw him for human even with this _thing _on his arm, wouldn't give up on him with the darkness so close, smiled at him, did what she could for him, tempted him so deliberately, gave him her heart so openly.

Faintly, Kaze heard Maduin's roar.

And then there was the sizzle of flesh burning, and then the next moment, the darkness and the pressure was gone.

Maduin touched down to the ground, and the Soil that formed its body dissolved. The Magun contracted on Kaze's arm, spiraling back into its sheathed self so brutally that it made Kaze gasp and stagger; pain seized his heart, and he clutched his arm beneath his cloak.

Lisa ran straight to him, her eyes wide and panicked, calling his name. "Kaze—Kaze, are you alright? What's wrong? Is there something that I can—?!"

As his vision blurred and hazed and cleared and weakness pulsed in and out of his muscles, Kaze whirled to face her, then swept his arm around her and kissed her deeply, not even caring that they now had an audience.

"Is he really going to be alright?" he heard Kiri say distantly. "He looked really bad for a second there, after all…"

"Ah, I'm sure he'll be fine." This was Ai, and there was amused certainty in her voice. "They do say love is the best medicine, you know!"

Kaze finally let Lisa down, and she was staring at him with such wonder and tearful relief, and then she threw her arms around him and held him tightly and cried into his chest, calling him an idiot and laughing, her love for him shining in every word.

"Thank you," he told her as he embraced her in return. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"But I didn't do _anything," _Lisa protested, half laughing and half sobbing.

Kaze just smiled.

"You only think not."

(TBC)


	33. The Endless Ballad, part 2

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

It did Kiri's heart some real good to see Kaze and Lisa openly close, to see them so relieved after the battle they'd fought and won. Maybe Kiri didn't know the whole story because he and Kaze weren't that close just yet, but even he had known that the fight with the mirror demon had been about more than just getting an annoying obstacle out of the way. Something of the reservation and the haunted fear in Kaze was gone now; Kiri supposed that it came of conquering the physical representation of the darkness leeching away at his heart. After all the pain that all of them had suffered since the Heartless had broken into Mystaria and taken Kumo away, Kiri was glad to see that something good had come of all this, something solid, something strong.

Ai seemed to have taken courage from it as well, and knowing that her brother was here and that she could finally rescue him had sharpened her resolve visibly.

As for Fabula… Well. Every now and then she would give Kaze and Lisa a pained smile, but then she would focus back inwards, fear and determination and cold fury struggling in her eyes. When Kiri looked at her, he could tell—what he'd seen in her so long ago had grown and flowered, and was so strong in her that she'd finally taken notice of it. Just that her tangled emotions had won out over her usual calm logic was proof enough. The realization was usually painful enough—Kiri knew that from experience; that was the way it had been for him and Kumo, after all. But with everything that had happened… it was straining her badly. Much more pressure, and she would probably snap—to what end, Kiri couldn't tell.

But he reached out to her, gently touching her shoulder, trying to reassure her the way she'd always done for him. "We _will _find her," he said softly as she looked up at him, her cat's eyes bleak.

"…………" Fabula didn't reply, but she reached up and touched Kiri's hand, biting her lip.

They'd decided to search the bastion room by room, since Aura could have been hidden anywhere, and the children might be here too, stashed safely out of the way of the fighting. On the first floor, they hadn't found anything but the rotting remains of a banquet and a room full of curious, squeaking Shadow Heartless that had peered curiously at their visitors, then hid in the darkness.

Now on the second floor, they were making their way between what were apparently the living quarters of the soldiers and civilians who had stayed here before the bastion fell. Almost every room so far had been in ruins, and completely empty of any life, even Heartless.

"I don't think we're going to find anything here," Lisa said softly. "How much further do we have to search, does anyone know?"

Fabula shook her head. "This building has three floors, and then the roof. I would guess that Azrael Astaroth would probably be on the third floor or the roof—he's one with a bit of a flair for the dramatic. But… as much as I want to find Aura, I know that reclaiming the children and Kumo is of equal, if not greater importance."

Lisa nodded, and turned to Kaze. "We should speed up a little. Ai?"

As the three of them left the room they'd been going through, Kiri turned to Fabula. "It must have killed you to even say that," he murmured to her.

"…It's the truth, and I won't pretend that it isn't," was the only response he got.

Before they could rejoin their companions, Ai's voice cut through the air in a shocked wail: _"This…!"_

Passing Fabula, Kiri pushed past Kaze and Lisa into the next room. "Ai! What is it?!"

The girl was standing next to the desk that dominated most of the room. Many of its drawers had been pulled out, much like the bookshelf that had toppled onto the unmade bed, its contents spilled across the room. Ai was focused on the heavy-looking canvas backpack that was sitting on the desk itself, staring at it through eyes huge with trauma.

"This is Mom's…!" she cried, and before Kiri could stop her, she tore it open and began to shove through clothes and tight packs of money and trail food, quickly pulling out a plaid-bound book, its ribbon marker thrust through a spot in the middle of the pages. With her friends looking on, Ai flipped through some of the pages, then hugged the book to her chest.

"So Mary Hayakawa _did _make it here…" Lisa hung her head sadly. "We'd all thought that she must have been attacked on the way, lost somehow…"

Ai flipped the diary back open; Kiri joined her, leaning over his shoulder and frowning at Mary's lovely, slanted writing. "Looks to me like she must've gotten here while the King and his men were still holding this place," he remarked. "She's talking about how the Heartless must be drawn to something in the bastion in this entry. Hey, Ai, if we look at this thing, we might be able to get some idea of what happened…"

Ai was already nodding, paging towards the marker.

"Your mom must've been smart," Kiri murmured as he read over her shoulder, glancing at the writing as Ai flipped through. "There's talk about pure hearts here, and that she knows our enemies are looking for something specific. And—something about a 'gate'…"

"A gate?" There was iron shock in Fabula's voice, enough to make Kiri look up. "A gate, or a Gate?"

"It's capitalized in—" Kiri stopped short as he watched all the color drain from her face.

"No. Oh, no. No, no, no, _no." _Fabula shook her head. "I'd never known—this world is…?! Everyone, we have to move, and we have to move _now. _I know why these people took Kumo and the children. We won't find them here. We have to go higher up—wherever Azrael Astaroth is, they'll be nearby."

---

Fabula didn't say anything else as they ran back for the stairs. She _couldn't _say anything else. She felt as if she spoke the words, it would somehow condemn them all, and anyway, fear for Aura was all but consuming her heart, the words pounding with every step.

_Please be alive. Please be alive. Please be alive._

Everything had been illuminated in that single flash of Mary Hayakawa's diary. Of course. She'd been so _stupid. _The children had to be the four cornerstones, and Azrael Astaroth planned to use Kumo's heart as the key. He had to be stopped, he _had _to be _stopped, _but—but where did Aura fit into all this?! Even if she _was _originally from another world…

And even as she prayed desperately to herself and to Cruxis and to every god whose name she'd ever known that Aura would be alright, she massed power. She massed power, because she would not be able to hold herself back any longer. Because she was going to do it, and for the first time since that bleak and stormy night all those many, many lifetimes ago, she would take firm command of every mote of power in her body, and she would strike down all who stood in her way.

Because that _man _had dragged Aura into this _and she would not allow it._

The stairs ended, and they spilled out into the wide antechamber with Fabula in the lead. Closed oaken doors on each side of the room led into the rest of the bastion, and a red, gold-trimmed tongue of carpet ran from the staircase from the second floor to the one that would lead to the roof. Torches glimmered in the sconces, casting bright light along the white brick walls.

But Fabula did not pay those trifling details any mind, because Aura was there, standing to the side of Azrael Astaroth, standing with her eyes half-closed and wings in an ethereal spectrum sparkled at her back and a deceptively delicate-looking band of gold and steel around her forehead.

_"Aura!"_

"She can't hear you," Azrael Astaroth said, sounding amused.

Fabula whirled around to him, feeling her tenuous grip on her temper slipping. "If you so much as _touch _her again, I will eradicate you completely," she said, her voice cold but shaking with rage. "Where is her heart?! Tell me!"

"Her _heart?" _And Azrael Astaroth tilted his head back and laughed.

"…" Fabula's self-control slipped another few notches. The torchlight faltered.

"Holy shit," she distantly heard Kiri whisper from behind her, and noticed in a vague way that bright sparks of power were dancing along her arms, blazing from her bunched fists up to her shoulders before fizzling out.

"What did you _do _to her?" The demand was icy, a fresh rush of frost in every word.

"All I _did _to her was give her this slave crown," Azrael Astaroth explained mildly, gesturing to the circlet Aura now wore. "You may have heard of them. They suppress the soul and free will of the wearer. She won't even breathe unless I tell her to, but she is otherwise completely unharmed. My master would never forgive me if she were damaged in any way."

_A slave crown. _Something in Fabula's heart went fluttery with worry bordering on panic, but she clamped down on it. "Why? Slave crowns are notoriously unreliable. Those with powerful hearts routinely find ways to break their control. You court death by placing one on her."

Azrael Astaroth laughed again.

"Clearly, none of you know what she is," he said at last, leering at them. "With her soul suppressed, she reverts to her true self as much as is possible, ever since the Windarians tainted her with their slim vestige of humanity, their _Soil. _A strong _heart? _Clearly you have no idea what it is you've been traveling with all this time, do you?"

"Stop dancing around the subject and _tell us what you mean," _Fabula ordered. "Unless you want me to _take _her from you, and free her from your control."

"That crown cannot be removed without harming her unless I'm dead," Azrael Astaroth sneered. "Are you still so anxious to try anything stupid? If you're so curious, I'll tell you… I'll tell you everything you need to know about this thing you thought was human for so long."

A muscle twitched in Fabula's right arm, and the itch to throw her power in one raw blast at the arrogant, pompous bastard of a summoner became an ache. But she ruthlessly held herself back. Not yet. She hadn't gathered _quite _enough of her strength to do it yet. She had to keep him talking for a little bit longer…

"Eighteen years ago, when those meddling fools of Windaria first opened this world to the darkness, my master acted recklessly. So long we had waited, to find a world in which the Final Gate lay… much energy and many Heartless were wasted in a worthless war with those people who attempted to resist. It allowed the King enough time to arrive. And the worst of it was… we happened to leave a treasured belonging behind in this world when we were sealed away.

"But what we thought was a disaster turned out to be our greatest blessing. As long as she remained here, in this world, we maintained a connection with it. Our servants, much like the one you recently dispensed with, were able to travel back and forth to it, until finally we were able to force through the door. And in addition to gathering the key and the cornerstones, we were tasked also with recovering this girl, for only with her can the darkness be brought to evolve to create a _true _Dominion.

"The thought that I would take her heart is _laughable _because, my poor, ignorant fools… I couldn't. How could I possibly _take her heart _when _she never had one in the first place?"_

Fabula knew the room had gone dead silent by how loudly she could hear her own heart beating.

_"What are you talking about?!"_

"This girl was fashioned by the darkness from itself—a perfected, far more highly-evolved Heartless, if you will. She was given shape resembling that of a human, and like a human, she was gifted with the inexorably hungry intelligence and capability to learn that would allow her to function as a living creature. She has a _mind—_sentience, if not true self-awareness. And she was born with no heart or soul to cloud the development of that intelligence.

"But, of course, the King gave her to the Windarians.

"She has a soul now—useless baggage that it is, and with my slave crown, it might as well not even exist—because," and here Azrael Astaroth laughed again, "because for the first few years of her imprisonment in the worthless realm of humans, the Windarians who took her in fed her the lives and humanities of all the lives they'd lost fighting us—they wasted the Soil of hundreds of their own people, just to grant her a pretty lie to live!"

"…………" Fabula felt no horror at the things that Azrael Astaroth was saying—only hatred. She'd already known that Aura wasn't human. It didn't make any difference to her. _"What are you going to do with her?"_

"Why, return her to her creator, of course," Azrael Astaroth replied as if the very question was absurd. "With this slave crown to repress her soul, the darkness can easily strip away the shell of her false humanity. And then, she can fulfill her original purpose, since she's matured—breeding the army of the darkness, a series of creatures much like herself. The darkness and the Heartless will both evolve, and this world and _all _worlds will be ours."

"…" Fabula closed her eyes, waiting for a moment. "Lisa."

"Y-yes?" Lisa's voice, startled and numb, piped through the tense air.

"Shield everyone. Make your protections as powerful as you can. This is… something I'm not entirely sure I can control."

"Fabula, what are you _doing?" _Kiri demanded from behind her, his voice clearly strained.

She glanced over her shoulder, through the heavily blurred barrier of air, into faces paled with shock and worry, watching Kiri clench his fists against the barrier as he stared at her.

"I'm taking her back," she said simply.

She released her hold on her power, routing it to the jewel that had hung at her forehead since she was fifteen years old. It shimmered, its seal wavering almost indecisively. With all the coldness of her hate, Fabula surged her power against it.

It shattered.

Light—pure white light—haloed her body, and she felt something within her change, felt the restrictions that had always bound her heart fall. There was a sense of freedom that slid through her blood as she curled in the air, felt the solid weight of her silver hair lighten as it spun into the shining white dress, the heavy blue armor—and the silver-blue wings, veined with deep purple, that shimmered into being, wrapped around her body as the last of the changes were wrought. They sparkled as Colette's had, as Kumo and Aura's did, but instead of fans of oversized feathers, hers were much larger, and in the shape of a bird's wings, broad and longer than she was tall and brilliant.

She flung them wide as she stepped back onto the spill of red that linked her with her target, watching him lurch back as she stared at him dispassionately.

_"What is __**this?!"**_ Azrael Astaroth demanded, clearly unnerved.

"Fool," was her cold, cutting retort. "Have you never heard of the term _'Unlimited'?"_

He hissed and waved his arm; darkness whipped from the floor towards her.

Fabula held out her hand and flicked her wrist slightly. Before it even got anywhere near her, the darkness recoiled on itself and fell away.

"Hmph. Is that all you can do?" She cocked her head to the side, regarding him with icy disgust. "I had hoped for better."

"Tch…!" Azrael Astaroth pulled a pouch filled with blood from his belt, said a few arcane words over it, and crushed it in his hands. As blood leaked from his fingers and dripped onto the floor, curling into smoky red-black amorphous mass. It lurched across the room towards her in an ungainly slithering motion, rising up threateningly, spreading out its shapeless self into a forest of tentacles.

As soon as it drew near, Fabula flung out her arms in a vehement gesture. Whatever it was that Azrael Astaroth had called up shrieked and edged back, then crumbled into dust.

This time, Azrael Astaroth stepped back, clearly unnerved. "What—what _are _you?!"

"I am Fabula Kronos, a Guide," she replied, simply. As she went on, there was force behind her words that thrilled wonder into the hearts of her allies, and fear through the being of her foe. _"And I am Unlimited. _Unbound, my power surpasses that of gods."

She cast her eyes down, clasped her hands at her chest, and whispered something. Only she knew that her words were no more than a simple prayer to extinguish evil and protect those she loved.

Her body glowed with fierce power, and with a sound like a punch through wood, a bright pillar of raw magic shot through Azrael's body—a straight beam, white tinged with every imaginable color, with a helix winding its perfect spiral around it.

There was an inhuman scream, and that was all. When the bright light vanished, all that was left of Azrael Astaroth was a wide, seeping bloodstain spilled across the red carpet that ran the length of the room and up the stairs. The rest of his body had been vaporized on contact.

Ultima. She'd only used it once before in her life. She didn't know whether or not she should be glad of that fact.

The giddy haze of overexertion seized her, and the glimmer left her body, wings and dress and armor vanishing as her hair swept from her shoulders down her back, regaining its original length. She wanted to just sink straight down to the ground and shake, she felt so horrible. The seal had solidified again, crystal and unyielding and cold against her forehead. It had taken all the strength she was normally allowed to utilize to break it. Now that it had reformed, she was completely tapped.

But then there was the shimmer of magic released, and Aura's wings disappeared, and she fell hard to her knees with a solid _thud, _sprawled where she sat. Urgent emotion seized Fabula's chest, and she forced herself to cross the room in a sprint, kneeling down before the girl and lightly touching her shoulders. "Aura, are you…?"

But before she could finish the sentence, Aura looked up at her, and her silver eyes were pale with shock and trauma and… _tears?_

She couldn't say anything—there wasn't time. Aura had started to tremble, shaking her head desperately, straining for words.

"What _am _I?!" she said at last, her voice twisting into a wail.

Fabula didn't yet know how she was supposed to explain that Aura was herself and that was more than enough, so she didn't say anything. She did the only thing she could do—she opened her embrace to her dearest friend, and let Aura hide her face and her tears against her shoulder.

Even though it wasn't over just yet, even though there was still so much for Aura to work through… it was just such a relief to have her back.

---

It took several minutes for Aura to get over her shock, choke back her tears, and compose herself.

Kiri waited, silent and respectful. Every nerve in his body was _screaming _for him to charge up those stairs, where he felt Kumo's presence—a hypnotically familiar, inexorably powerful pull—but he held himself back, knowing that he owed Aura this much. After what she'd done for him, when Kara had—Kiri cut himself off with a shake of his head. The point was that she'd been there, she'd taken care of him, shown him a kindness he hadn't known she was capable of when he'd needed someone most. Waiting, giving her the time she needed, was the least Kiri could do to repay her.

He would've tried to do more, but it looked like Fabula had everything fairly well in hand.

As for what Azrael Astaroth had said—Kiri had decided not to think too much about that. After this was over—after Lisa had restored Kumo's heart, and things went back to normal—then he'd worry about it. If he focused on it too much now, he'd start remembering more things like Aura's ability to sense the Heartless and her bad reaction to Fuyushin's protective magic, and all that talk about Aura being a Heartless herself—or an "Endless", whatever that was supposed to be—would begin making _way _too much sense.

So Kiri wouldn't think about it. Kumo was so close, and now the two of them would be together again and nothing would ever tear them apart again. Kiri would focus on that.

"……" Aura suddenly sat up, wiping her face on the back of her hand. "…I'm… sorry. I'm keeping you back. You've got to find the kids now, right?"

"What's this _'you'?" _Fabula asked with a frown, reaching out to touch Aura's face lightly. "You don't think we would leave without you, do you?"

"…I…"

"Well, what kind of friends would we be if we did _that?" _Ai demanded exasperatedly from where she'd been waiting with Kaze and Lisa.

"All that matters now is that you're alright," Lisa added with a worried-looking smile.

"You're… the same person you always were," Kaze put in, his expression unusually gentle.

"…But…" Aura looked away, unable to meet even Fabula's gaze.

Kiri shook his head and sighed, then crossed the bloody carpet and bent over to stare pointedly at her with upraised eyebrows.

"…?" Aura frowned at him. "What's up with _you?"_

Kiri lightly curled his right hand into a fist, held it up, and rapped Aura's forehead with his knuckles in a blow only hard enough to make a point.

_"Ow!" _Covering the offended spot, Aura gave him a ferocious glare. "What was _that _for?!"

"You're wasting time whining," he pointed out frankly. "The less time we spend in here, the better. C'mon. Stop being stupid and thinking we're gonna ditch you, and help us get Kumo and the kids back."

"…………" Aura _stared _at him, apparently not knowing what she was supposed to say.

"He's right, you know," Fabula said with a tired smile. "We should go."

"………" Aura made a face, then sighed and slowly stood. "…Stupid Kiri."

_Glad to be of service, _Kiri thought wryly to himself, skirting the blood on the steps, forcing himself to walk as he headed for the bastion roof, making sure everyone was following him beforehand.

The flight of stairs wasn't very long, and in about a minute's time, Kiri had emerged into open air.

The roof of the Welgaian Bastion was long and simply bricked in white and gray, with the occasional red or black fleck of stone mixed in here or there. Since the city was built on one of the highest points of the surrounding area, Kiri realized that he could see for miles and miles—out across the currently calm oceans, over land… Kiri could see Bellebane and Lake Teros and the opera house and the Church of Angelus where Kratos and Colette lived, and even Conkram, if he squinted.

They'd been searching for a long time. The sky was beginning to darken; the sun was going to set soon. Distant clouds were strewn high above, and there wasn't even the slightest trace of a thunderhead in sight. It hit Kiri just then that the weather was very beautiful today, and he wondered why he hadn't realized that yet. He would have to remember it. This was the day that everything would end. This was the day he and Kumo would be reunited. He wanted to be able to remember every detail in the years to come.

The rooftop was dominated by what looked like an immense altar of some sort—it was a slightly rectangular dais, probably some twenty by fifteen yards, decorated with a vast magical glyph. On each side, there was a set of three steps leading up to it, and on each corner there was a short, fat pillar—only about some three feet high. On three of these pillars stood familiar shapes—Yu, Lou, and Clear. Each one rested trancelike on his or her toes, hands outstretched; each one's hands framed the shining crystal of his or her heart. The fourth pillar was empty.

In the middle of the glyph was—a statue? A statue, Kiri decided, of a tall man in black robes, his hood pulled down to hide the contours of his face. The detail was astonishing, even as far away as Kiri stood. It looked to have been carved entirely out of onyx, brooding and perfect.

It was what was right in front of the statue, however, that drew Kiri's attention.

Kumo was standing a before and a little to the left of it, blankly gazing westward, his eyes fixed on the horizon where the sun would soon be setting. Other than the reflexive flutter of his wings, he wasn't moving; the wind barely even stirred the flimsy scraps of cotton he was wearing. His Maken was loosely gripped in his right hand; its heavy gray tip rested on the surface of the altar itself.

Kiri's throat clutched tight. He wanted to cry out, wanted to run and pull Kumo close and never let go. He wanted to scream and run and fly and fall apart, and his emotions and thoughts and words were tangled and confused and thousands of things wanted to be expressed right now.

But strangely, he couldn't move.

He just stood there at the top of the stairs while Kaze and Lisa finally emerged and stood with him, looking around as if to gauge their bearings; while Aura and Fabula joined them, moving slowly and supporting each other; while Ai came up behind them, stopped dead next to Kiri, then ran forward shrieking her brother's name. A curious numbness had overtaken him, as if he was feeling everything so vividly and so intensely that he couldn't process anything more and so it was like he felt nothing at all.

"Yu! _Yu!!" _Ai stretched up on her tiptoes and grabbed her brother's arms, pulling, obviously trying to tear him down from the pillar. "Come on, let's get out of here! _Yu!"_

And that was when the thing Kiri had thought was a statue slowly raised its arm until it hung out straight from its shoulder, and a deep voice said coldly and clearly from under that hood, _"Take her."_

Before Kiri could do anything but cry out in something that could've been a disjointed protest or a strangled warning, Kumo dipped slightly, bending gracefully at the knees and waist, then sprang forward with all the speed of the nimblest sylph. Ai whirled, shocked, but she had no time to react—blank-faced, Kumo slammed his open palm against her chest. Her eyes rolled back and she crumpled against his suddenly outstretched other arm, and when he pulled his palm away, the brightly shining jewel of her heart was cupped in it.

Kumo straightened up, turning his empty blue eyes back to the robed figure, who gestured once in the air. Darkness folded around Ai's body and heart, and then rippled at the last pillar, and she reappeared there, standing in the same position as her brother and her friends, with half-closed eyes and a deathly pale face.

"This is it… at long last, the path stands before me… the road to a new Dominion…!"

The figure cast down its hood. Lisa gasped openly beside Kiri, going pale.

The face the black hood had hidden was a pale tan, framed by long white hair and heavy bangs that clearly had not been cut in months or longer, and what looked like a week's worth of unshaven stubble swept cream and shaggy along the man's jaw. His features were chiseled and aristocratic, if a bit hollow, but where eyes should have been under those heavy, near-craggy brows, there were only dark pits, seething with the same purple-blackness of the darkness crawling across Kaze's Magun.

"K-King Ansem?!" Lisa sputtered.

"No—that's not really him," Fabula shouted. "He's being controlled by something…!"

_"Open," _commanded the thing with the King of Archaea's face. There was a sound like something detonating, and darkness exploded under his feet, interspersed with pulses of blindingly bright white-gold light, in a concise circle around him. A powerful wind began to blow, blurring the vision of everyone nearby as ribbons of darkness shot from the air into the vortex, drawn not just from Ivalice and the bastion but much further away as well, echoing with the excited squeaks of the Heartless—they were being drawn from all over the country, all over the _world, _to take part in their master's glorious victory. As Kiri and the others looked on, once the trails of darkness that were the Heartless had stopped pouring in, the thing that had once been King Ansem began to sink into it. The Gate was opening… apparently, just as he'd planned.

"Wait…!" Kiri yelled, finding his voice at last and regaining control of himself, dashing up the steps, across the flat expanse of rooftop, then onto the altar itself.

The thing that had once been King Ansem, now down to its hips in the gate, turned to Kumo's empty shell, pointing at it and making a beckoning gesture as the tips of its fingers cast a soft and sinister light. "Destroy them," came the cold voice. "Destroy them all—starting with this one."

There was another sound of impact, sending shockwaves all across the bastion roof.

When the rush of power cleared, the black-robed king had vanished.

Aside from the children on their pillars, all that remained was Kumo… who now stood across the altar from Kiri, slowly lifting the Maken to point it at his brother in a dreamlike but clear motion of challenge.

(TBC)


	34. Dragonheart

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

_"N-Niisama…"_

_With one last glare at the older children who'd backed away once he'd plowed through their circle furiously, Kiri turned anxious eyes on Kumo, sprawled in a desperate, defensive curl, his eyes wide with fear and his face tearstreaked. He was shivering, and worse yet, a livid blue-purple bruise was already beginning to spread from his cheekbone to his slightly swollen lower lip._

_"Touch my brother again," Kiri told the other children in a low and poisonous voice, rage hammering along with his heartbeat, "and I will tear every single one of you apart."_

_"W-we won't forget this!" cried one boy as their circle pulled back, then broke, unwilling to tangle with Kumo's far stronger, very angry brother. Kiri curled his lip at them disgustedly. How these cowardly creatures would ever hope to harmonize with the Way, he had no idea._

_"Niisama…" Kiri drew his attention back to Kumo, who was shivering now, fresh tears spilling down his full cheeks. "N-Niisama… ugh… Niisama…"_

_Kiri held his arms out and let Kumo collapse into them, stroking the white-haired child's back and letting him cry. "There, there. It's okay. As long as I'm here, nobody's gonna bother you."_

_"I-I'm sorry…" Kumo clung to him, still shivering, still sobbing. "I-I'm so sorry, N-Niisama…"_

_"Don't apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for," Kiri said sternly, giving Kumo a sad, pained smile even so. "Now, c'mon. We'd better get home and find something cold to put on your face. If it's like that when Mom gets back, she'll throw a fit."_

_Kumo managed a bare giggle, then pulled in close, hiding his face in the side of Kiri's throat, heartbeat to heartbeat. Kiri shivered at Kumo's innocent touch: Fifteen and filled with the longing he'd barely discovered, still not quite sure how brotherly adoration for Kumo had changed so drastically in so short a time. He desired, and it frightened him, as he wasn't sure he would always be able to restrain it for Kumo's sake._

_"You'll… always be there to protect me, won't you?" Kumo murmured, snuggling closer._

_"I will. I swear on my life I will," Kiri replied softly. _Even from myself. _"As long as I live, you'll never face your fears alone."_

---

As Kumo stood in heartless silence with his Maken turned on Kiri, the red-haired swordsman just stood there in a state of shock. This was impossible. He wouldn't, _couldn't _accept this. How could this be happening? And _why? _Were his sins, his mistakes still weighed against him so? He'd thought he would be willing to do anything to get Kumo's heart back, to save him from this fate. But… but this? _No! _Never. He could _never _turn his sword on the one he loved. Even if he tried, he was sure his Maken would shatter completely from his grief. Being forced to harm Kumo would kill him.

"Kiri! Kiri, _move!" _he heard someone yelling from behind with him, but he couldn't. He could barely even breathe.

But then Kumo let out a soft sigh of Mist and lunged gracefully forward, and almost thirteen years of rigorous training forced Kiri's shock-numbed body into motion. Kiri whipped his Maken up just in time to barely parry Kumo's strike.

Kiri struggled beneath the blow—Kumo had thrown all his force into the strike, whereas Kiri's counter was weak, only a reflexive motion. Knowing that he couldn't shove Kumo away, Kiri slid to the side instead, dodging around Kumo and leaping back towards the center of the glyph, the closed Gate. Kumo staggered, unbalanced, then ran at him again.

Kiri's block was stronger this time, but still not strong enough, and besides, the counter he'd learned for the attack Kumo had used had been drilled into him with a vicious attack to follow it up. If he tried it, how could he be sure the years wouldn't force his muscles into the maneuver, even if his mind and heart didn't mean to do it? And so Kiri only leaped away again.

They continued in that pattern, leaping and striking and leaping away, for vital moments as Kiri's mind raced, as he scrabbled in a panic for some option, any option.

Finally, Kumo thrust his Maken up beneath Kiri's guard and pulled hard; as Kiri let out an unbelieving gasp, his blade flew out of his hands, jerked in a wide arc that carried it over the side of the bastion's roof.

Instinct had Kiri leaping backwards and flinging out his left hand, throwing his entire soul into a desperate call. A flicker of red sang over the horizon, and slowly, his Maken drifted back through the air towards him.

Kumo followed the movement with blank eyes, then let out another steady breath of Mist, swirling his Maken in a wide oval above his head. The white haze around them both expanded and contracted at once, forming a near-solid curtain that cut the two brothers off from all outside interference. As Kiri's Maken shot the last few feet through the air, it hit the barrier hard and bounced off, clattering to the stone floor.

Kiri stared in horror, then whirled back around to Kumo, who had leveled his Maken at Kiri again.

_No. No… I can't… if I can't call my sword, then… what can I…?_

_Is this… is this how everything's going to end…?_

Kiri glanced just past the edge of the barrier, right at the center of the Gate's glyph, where something pink and crystalline was giving off a feeble white glow, flickering like a pulse. _But I was… so close…_

Despair overtook Kiri, and he bowed his head and closed his eyes tightly.

But something rose up in his chest, a solid, forceful heat, and…

---

_…and the Darkside's body crashed against the glass, Kiri touching lightly down right after it, the shock of collision reverberating through his legs. Strangely, the big Heartless' body didn't vanish into a twist of darkness in the air. Instead, it seemed to lose its solidity, melting into black ooze that spread along the glass circle. All the little Heartless the goo touched melded with it, merging and spilling into the congealed, sticky mess._

_**The darkness you will face is ancient, and bitter, and all-encompassing.**_

_The voice had barely spoken when Kiri realized with a sick shock that the black ooze had wound its way around his ankles and was steadily flinging tendrils of itself up his legs. When he tried to slash at it with his sword, he saw with a deep, sickening terror that it was gone from his hand. He tried to pull away, but its grip on him was too strong, and he almost fell backwards. As he flung his arms out for balance, the darkness beneath him seethed and shot up, entrapping his arms and winding around his chest._

_**But do not be afraid…**_

_Kiri let out a wild yell and struggled. Behind the panic, that feeling like he was right on the verge of something important was increasing. The heat in his body focused in his hands, in his fingertips—and in his heart. But whatever it was, it wasn't coming fast enough—the darkness had a thick black tendril around his throat now, was spreading in sticky waves across his face, over the bridge of his nose._

…_**for you possess the most powerful weapon of them all.**_

---

With the jolt of memory, that feeling rushed through Kiri's body, powerful and sure, and he looked up with wide eyes, staring at Kumo's blank-eyed, remorseless, heartless form, the helpless puppet with the sword.

"…It's too important."

That almost-realization was back, the heat in his heart and all. Kiri started to tremble, his eyes stinging, as he spoke the words aloud, his voice awash in wonder and regret and love.

"It's too important. All this is too important. I can't… I can't give up yet."

As one tear spilled down Kiri's right cheek, then another down his left, he smiled at his brother's empty body, holding out his hands.

"I love you too much. I made a promise back then, and I vowed it when I left home. I won't let anything stop me. I _can't _let anything stop me. Not _anything._

"…Not even you.

"Forgive me, Kumo. I only hope that… you'll understand. I _will _save you, no matter the cost."

And as the heat ran from his heart to his hand, gathering at his fingertips, Kiri raised his right arm into the air, spreading his fingers wide.

The air rippled, and there was a call from somewhere deep within him, a hidden place that Kiri hadn't even known existed before now.

And the lost word that that mysterious voice had begun to say that time, as the dream had ended prematurely and Kiri had been awakened by Ai, echoed through the air as it swept simple and magnificent into being.

**_Keyblade_ **

It was about the length of Kiri's Maken, the rounded square of the hilt _(didn't they call that part of a key the "eye"?) _a shiny metallic red and the grip itself black leather. The long shaft of the key was pure silver, and the spiraling design of an Ittouju was carved around and along its length. The teeth of the key, set a handspan before the shaft ended in a deep gray point like a Maken's tip, were wrought with the negative relief of a crown, as if the shape of one had been carved out of this metal when it had been forged.

From the back of the hilt (eye) hung a short length of silver chain, ending in a miniature of one of Kiri's Mist bottles, in a perfect shade of deep red.

"…Dragonheart," Kiri murmured, staring in wonder at the lovely weapon. "…I see, so your name is… Dragonheart…"

Kiri swung his Keyblade in a wide circle, slicing through his own lingering disbelief, and crouched down into a waiting position. "Get ready, Kumo…!" he cried, certainty in the words even as they tore at his heart.

And then the two of them rushed each other, Maken meeting Keyblade in a brilliant clash.

This time, though, Kiri was _thinking _as they struggled. Kumo seemed to be reacting mostly by logic, by instinct. He'd been trained well—first by Kiri, then by Kiri's own teacher—to react and adapt to every possible situation, but muscle memory could only do so much without the conscious mind to aid it. Kiri had been proving that plenty well only a few minutes ago. And Kumo had only just graduated from his training, as well. Kiri still had three years on him there, even though Kumo had a natural skill with the blade that rivaled even his.

But experience counted here, more than anything else. If he concentrated, if he thought, he could do this—all he had to do to destroy that barrier would be to render Kumo unconscious. With a master, barriers lasted until death or until the maker broke them, but Kumo's inexperience would prove his downfall.

Kumo broke the clash of blades this time, jumping back only to lunge forward again with a wide, sweeping slash. Kiri leaned far to the side to dodge it, but even so, when he dropped and rolled and pulled himself up again, there were a few severed crimson hairs drifting to the ground.

_That was close— _He couldn't afford to underestimate Kumo. Both their lives were on the line now.

Kumo was gearing up for another swing. Kiri gritted his teeth, shifting to grip his Keyblade with both hands. _It's now or never—_

As Kumo lunged, Kiri pushed out strongly and flew low across the ground to meet him, whipping his Keyblade through the air in a shoulder-wrenching crescent that hurt like _hell _but accomplished its aim—he'd stopped Kumo's Maken, catching the blade in the key's teeth.

Kiri hissed, forcing a tense breath through his gritted teeth, then yelled and put his shoulders and all the strength in his arms into one tearing _shove—_and the tension Kiri pressed against _gave, _and Kumo's Maken slipped from his hands, clattering against the stone much like Kiri's had done.

Kumo made no move to call it back; Kiri hoped that in his heartless state, his brother lacked the immense strength of will that was required to do so. As Kumo stared blankly after his dropped weapon, Kiri closed the distance between them and put his arms around his beloved, holding him tightly but still not letting go of his Keyblade.

Closing his eyes tightly, Kiri fought tears, then leaned in to lightly kiss that unresponsive cheek. "I love you so much," he whispered. And then: "I'm sorry."

Kiri pulled his Keyblade arm back, flipped the weapon so that the shaft and teeth pointed behind him, and slammed the heavy grip straight into Kumo's belly.

Kumo made a soft surprised sound, then gave a cough that was half gasp and slumped into Kiri's waiting arms. Just as Kiri had counted on, the hazy barrier of Mist dissipated almost instantly.

Kiri held his brother close for one more moment, then laid him out against the stone, looked over to his startled companions, and called.

"Lisa—please, we haven't much time. I need you to give him his heart back, _now."_

---

Kiri knelt anxiously at Kumo's side, clasping his brother's hand in both of his own, as Lisa closed her eyes and sighed, preparing herself, across Kumo's body from him. Kaze stood slightly behind her, with Fabula and Aura still leaning on each other, hovering nearby.

After a brief confused moment of staring at Kiri like she hadn't known what he'd meant, Lisa had snapped into action, crossing the Gate to its center and gently coaxing Kumo's heart out of the glyph. She'd expressed a moment of worry over its weakened state, then begun her preparations. While she'd gotten ready, Kaze had voiced a hoarse concern of what would happen if they were attacked; Aura had said then that she couldn't feel the presence of any Heartless at all—not just in this city, but anywhere in the world. Wherever the former Ansem had gone, he'd taken all his forces with him.

As for Kiri, he didn't really care about any of that. As soon as he'd focused on Kumo, his Keyblade had vanished into thin air, but he wasn't worried—he knew that the next time danger threatened, he could call it easily. That didn't matter. All that mattered now…

"Kiri, open his shirt up a bit," Lisa said suddenly. "His heart has to be in direct contact with his skin to transfer in this state."

Kiri blinked, then nodded. "Uh… o-okay." With hesitant hands, Kiri pulled at the laces that held Kumo's far-too-revealing shirt together, loosening them enough to slide the flimsy little sheath of cotton over Kumo's shoulders and down, baring his chest. The gaping wound Kiri remembered was nowhere near as ugly as he'd thought it would look—there was only a glimmering patch of silver there now, the mark of Fabula's spell, all that kept Kumo alive. It was shifted just left of the center of his chest—a hole the size of Kiri's hand, maybe a little bigger, which stretched from the side of Kumo's breastbone to barely an inch from his left nipple.

As Kiri wrapped both his hands around Kumo's again and stared down at him, his heart in his throat, Lisa sighed again and nodded. "Alright… let's try this."

With everyone watching closely, Lisa laid Kumo's frail, weakly pulsing heart against his chest, right over the magically cloaked wound. She then picked up her staff, holding it so that its head sat just over the heart, and closed her eyes, resting both hands along the gnarled wood.

The air around the staff rippled, and the rose-colored crystal at its head began to glow steadily.

There was the sound of a heartbeat, magnified a hundred times. It echoed again, and one more time, and slowly, so slowly, Kumo's heart sank back into his chest where it belonged. The silver traces of Fabula's spell vanished, and the wound that had almost been mortal closed over as though it had never been in the first place.

"Now what?" Kiri asked hoarsely.

"Now… we wait," was Lisa's faint reply.

The seconds seemed like years as Kiri clutched Kumo's hand, anxiously staring into that pale face, searching for any signs of life, of awareness.

"………" Kumo's chest rose and fell, and his head turned slightly towards Kiri. "…nnh… unnh…"

Kiri's heart jolted in his chest, and he squeezed Kumo's hand, leaning in fearfully, not daring to hope. "Kumo…?!"

"…ah…" Weakly, Kumo opened his eyes very slightly, only enough for Kiri to catch a glimpse of flickering green beneath those soft black lashes. Kiri bit his lip and held his breath as Kumo moaned again, then opened his eyes wider, staring up at Kiri blankly, his gaze hooded, dreamy, and completely devoid of recognition.

_No… _Kiri fought back panic, held off tears. There had to be more than this—Kumo had a stronger heart than to just, just…

Kumo blinked again, and his gaze sparked to brilliant life as his eyes went wide. "…Niisama…?" he whispered, his voice cracked with disuse and filled with emotion, fearing to hope.

"Kumo…" Kiri trembled, painful love and relief hitting him hard, and he reached out to take Kumo's other hand as well. He couldn't fight the tears anymore, and he didn't want to. "Oh, God, _Kumo…"_

"Niisama…" Kumo managed a weak, teary smile, and Kiri's reserve broke.

_"Kumo…!"_ Kiri pulled his brother into his arms, holding him tightly, still shaking, not ever wanting to let go. He couldn't speak. All he could do was sob bitterly, openly, brokenly, and cling to Kumo, almost not daring to believe that after so long, after so much hardship and so many failures, that this was true, that it was really happening.

Kumo's hands wound into Kiri's hair and cape, and he clung to his brother with what little strength he could manage, weeping silently into Kiri's shoulder.

Love and need tangled in Kiri's chest, and he pulled back to stare at Kumo with vision blurred by tears and saw that his beloved felt the same, and then they were tangled together, their hands fisted in each other's clothes, kissing deeply and with utter abandon, never mind that the others were watching. It had been so _long. _Kiri had gone so _long _without being truly face-to-face with the love of his life, so _long _without the taste of him, so _long _without Kumo's soft warmth in his arms. They held each other as if to express months of loneliness and pain, of living only with their memories of each other, of loneliness so unbearable it was almost unspeakable.

Finally, Kumo pulled back and leaned against Kiri's shoulder, murmuring something in a soft, tear-blunted voice.

"Hm?" Kiri leaned in, trying to catch the words.

Kumo sat up again, smiling at his brother with deep love in his eyes. "You came for me," he repeated, louder, his voice twisting with grateful tears. "You rescued me… I… I-I'm so…" He nuzzled in close again. "Thank you…"

Kiri shook his head. "N-no… I… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry it took me so long… I just… thank God you're alright…"

Kumo straightened up, and his smile was trembling. "Oh, Niisama… don't cry… it's okay… it's over now… you did it…!"

Kiri laughed at the irony, and let a last few tears stray across his face.

"Hey…" Both of them turned; Fabula had managed to untangle herself from Aura long enough to sit down beside them. "How are you feeling?"

"Fabula…?" Kumo stared at her, bewildered. "How did you… why are you…?"

Smiling, she reached out and ruffled Kumo's soft white hair. "Silly. I couldn't just leave you like that, and I couldn't just watch Kiri struggle to find you on his own. Of course I had to come with him. I care about you two so much more than that."

"…………" Kumo reached out and hugged her tightly; her smile grew as she held him.

"So…" They all turned towards Lisa. "Should I help the children now?"

Releasing Kumo, Fabula sighed and shook her head. "This is going to sound horribly cruel, I know… but you can't yet. We have to leave them like this a little longer."

"What? _Why?" _Lisa demanded, looking shocked. "They're…!"

"I promise I will explain _everything," _Fabula said heavily, cutting her off. "But not now. Right now, we need to head back into the city. I'll tell you everything you need to know about this place and what we have to do next tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow?"

"Because," Fabula told her with a sigh, "we all need rest. I'm tapped out—I need sleep. Kaze had to summon, and I'm sure he needs to relax for a while, as well. Aura's been through a lot, and you and Kiri can't have come through today with no cost to your energy. Besides, someone needs to explain everything to Kumo, and that will take time. There's a dangerous battle ahead of us—the forces of the Heartless _have _to be stopped—and we can't rush into it without rest. If we followed them in our current state, it would be suicide. Too much has happened today; we need some time to ourselves so that we can try to absorb it all, at the very least. There are things we all need to resolve before we use this Gate… since it's very possible that only some of us will come back alive."

Kumo leaned into Kiri's side, and he slipped his arms around his brother's waist as he listened to the gravity of Fabula's words.

Whatever it was that they faced—whatever confrontation with the Heartless, with what had once been King Ansem—he would face it without fear, knowing that Kumo was safe… was restored to him at last.

(TBC)


	35. Absolution

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

The abandoned streets of Ivalice echoed with faint footsteps.

Tightly clutching each other's hands, Kiri and Kumo had been wandering the empty city for over an hour already while Kiri related his journey to find his little brother in hushed whispers. Kumo simply listened, his eyes never straying from his brother's face, his tiny smile ever-present as he took in every word, every gesture, reveling in the soft wonder that it had all been done for him.

At last, Kiri seemed to run out of words. He turned his crimson eyes towards the darkening sky and faltered, halting their walk and wetting his lips but finding himself unable to continue.

He'd fallen short just when he was about to explain the one thing he'd omitted in his story.

Kara.

Finally, he just burst out, his pale cheeks flaming in the same rose tones that the sun's last rays brought out in his long hair. "That woman… she… I told you before, how she drugged me and hid me from the others."

Kumo nodded gently, the smile still in place though a strange sorrow had settled into his eyes.

Kiri bit his lip, but forced himself on. "She just… I… it was…" Panic wove through his heart, followed by despair. How could he possibly explain to Kumo what had happened to him? "S-she… I-I couldn't… I couldn't do anything. Not even fight. I-I mean, I tried, obviously I did. As hard as I ever knew how, but… but…" He hung his head, letting his long hair trail over his face, his shame as desperate and cutting as it had been when it had happened. "I-it was… no good. Nothing worked. M-my body… my body was just…" Shuddering a little, he covered his face with his hands. "It was so _sick. _It was horrible. I—wanted to die. What kind of man am I that I couldn't even keep my promise to give myself to you, and you alone?"

"I know," Kumo said softly, the smile gone, and slipped his arms around his brother's sharply hunched shoulders. "Niisama, I'm so sorry. It wasn't your fault, don't blame yourself…"

"It was torture—nothing more, nothing less,"Kiri went on, frustrated and shamed as he leaned into Kumo's patient shoulder. "And in the end, even after all that, I… I wasn't even the one who finished her. Aura killed her—I was too weak. I just couldn't move." The strength had been sapped from all his muscles in a bitter parody of the exhaustion he'd always felt after he and Kumo touched each other. It was because of that weakness—that almost-sated feeling—that he hadn't even been able to avenge himself.

"I know," Kumo whispered again, his voice quiet and pained.

"How do you _know?" _Kiri asked thickly, looking at his brother with pleading eyes as he straightened up. "I just… dammit… that part of me… that was supposed to be _your _privilege. But… I… you're the only one of our people who can ever know. I can't tell anyone else… not our parents, not… not anybody. You know what they'd say. Someone who's already had sex can't life-bond a virgin… no matter what the circumstances are."

"I have something I need to tell you, too…" Kumo said softly, collapsing against Kiri's firm chest.

Kiri waited, silent. He didn't trust himself to speak.

"I… I'm not…"

Kumo's voice trembled, but he held himself fast, refused to let the tears come. Kiri could hear it in his voice, could hear the unevenness forced away.

"I'm not… a virgin… anymore, either…"

Kiri stared at his little brother's face. No tears. But all the same, Kumo was pale and trembling, his body rigid against Kiri's.

Words came tumbling too quickly for Kiri to do anything but soak them in. "It was that woman, that Kara, and Azrael Astaroth—they came to me in the night, ordered me along with them—nothing I could do—had to obey, couldn't think, but the memories are all perfectly clear—took me to their chambers, made me watch them, then—"

Kiri gripped his brother's shoulders tightly. Kumo was shaking so badly, it looked like he would fall over at any moment.

"Then." Kumo swallowed hard, still staring at a fixed point in Kiri's shirt, his eyes blank and shadowed. "Then. Both of them, one after the other. Over and over. It hurt… it hurt… I just… I feel so, so, _dirty, _so… both of them. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I couldn't—I can't—I…" Silence; Kumo slumped into Kiri's chest again, still trembling, but dry-eyed. "I am such a whore."

"Kumo, _no," _Kiri said softly.

The only response was a prick of wetness against his chest. Finally, tears, albeit silent ones.

"Listen to me." Kiri gave his brother's shoulders a gentle shake. "Those people _raped _youYou had no choice in the matter. It's the same as… almost the same as with me, except that _I _was still there in my head, watching, and I was able to try to fight, even if it didn't work. You weren't. You'd lost your heart, and your soul along with it… You're _anything _but a whore. You'd never have done anything like that of your own free will. And besides…" Kiri leaned in, pressed his lips gently to Kumo's tearstained cheek. "I couldn't possibly love you any less, no matter what those _people _did to you."

They stood together in silence. Dusk had painted the sky a deep purplish-blue; a violet cloak covered the both of them, dulling Kiri's clothes and hair.

Kumo clutched Kiri's upper arms and pulled back a little, staring at his brother with huge, pleading eyes. "Stay with me?" he managed, still shaking, though his tremors were beginning to subside. "Stay with me tonight…?"

"Of course," Kiri whispered, deep concern etched over his features. He tried a small smile, although worry tainted it, evened it back out. "…Besides, I don't want to sleep alone either."

There was a terrible vulnerability in Kumo's face as he looked up at Kiri almost despairingly, half-closing his eyes, still trembling slightly. "Niisama, I… I need you… I need you with me…"

And that was when it happened.

Kumo pulled his brother towards him, and their lips met.

This was like no kiss that Kiri had shared with his innocent lover in the past. They'd kept their hands to themselves, moved little, kept their actions gentle. Even when they'd made the hesitant decision to start touching each other, to share in each other's pleasure as much as they dared, they'd always defined strict limits on how much was too much, and stopped well short of anything that could lead them too far. Their kisses had always been sweet, their fleeting, guilty stolen moments brief. But this… this was bold, audacious, almost _savage, _and it disregarded everything they'd ever decided in the past. As they clung closely to each other, a bold tangle of arms and lips, Kumo's hands slipped from Kiri's shoulders to his hips, digging in his nails as he neared the slight curve at the joints. And Kiri, reacting on simple instinct, slid his tongue past his brother's slightly parted lips as though he knew he'd always belonged there.

_Oh, bloody hell, _Kiri thought absently, fear and shock wavering briefly through the back of his mind before sharp, brutal arousal took hold.

This was the kiss, the forbidden kiss that the two of them had always skirted around. Kiri had made excuses, claimed that Kumo was too young. He'd been unable to accept the responsibility of what would happen if that kiss went too far. He'd always been the one to fear the consequences, the reality of what would happen the morning after, once the dream had ended and the both of them would return to their senses. Kumo was the one who'd always been certain in his wants and needs; Kiri had been the one who hadn't been ready for it. These truths circled in the back of Kiri's mind as Kumo's intoxicating taste destroyed almost every reservation he'd ever held. As they continued to kiss, Kumo's low, throaty moan sent chills racing up Kiri's spine; playfully, he drew back and began to trace along the lines of Kumo's throat with gentle nips and light butterfly kisses, centering where the pulse throbbed strongest.

Kumo cried out, arched his body against his brother's, and squeezed reflexively, digging his nails into Kiri's hips once again. With a low groan of melded anticipation and excitement, Kiri worried that one spot, bending Kumo backwards and supporting his slim body with both arms. All he was able to think was _yes. _Kumo's soft, sobbing moans only encouraged him further. His blood burned, ached—it hurt almost as much as the sudden, desperate longing to push Kumo back against the nearest wall, kilt those long smooth legs up around his waist, and take what some part of him had been wanting for almost sixteen years.

Then the sensible part of his brain screamed "STOP!" and his all-too-obedient body froze, letting him pull back just a little, rescuing Kumo from the half-swoon he was trapped in. God, what was he _doing?_ He was hot, hard, erect, aching for something they'd both decided was not gonna happen for at least two more years, and he'd just given his sweet, innocent little brother his very first hickey.

Not to mention that sex in the street would probably be a bad thing, even if no one _was_ around to watch them.

_Where the hell _did _my little brother learn to kiss like that? _wondered the horny part of Kiri's mind, fascinated. The rest of him tried to tune that thought out.

"Don't stop," Kumo sobbed, his chest visibly heaving with his breath, his face aflame with blush.

"We have to," Kiri said slowly, although he wasn't too sure himself. He needed to take care of his erection—it was almost impossible to think. "The life-bond…"

"You heard what the others told us about what we have to do," Kumo insisted. "It'll be dangerous, life-threatening. If I _die _tomorrow, the life-bond isn't going to matter. Or if _you _die. For all we know we could _both _die. And if I die, I want to die with no regrets… I want to die with the taste of you on my lips… I want to take the sense of you with me… I want you inside me. Now." And to Kumo, it seemed as simple as that. Kiri suddenly realized that he wasn't the only one in such an awkward condition. He was getting rail-spiked by his little brother.

"But this is—" Kiri shook his head helplessly, even as desire surged through his body, a whisper through a mind hopelessly clouded with arousal: _Oh please, yes, please, I want you, let me have you, I have to have you, let's do it right here, right now, this very moment. _"I-it's too soon, we've both been through too much—_Nallorn and Gaedrian, _we were just talking about what those people did to us, we can't be expected to…!"

"But that's exactly why," Kumo said, his lust-smoky eyes begging. "If something happens when we go through the Gate tomorrow, something that can't be undone, I don't want to go the rest of my life with my last memory of intimacy, of sex, tainted by their actions. You remember what they say, don't you—sex should be about love, not pain. I don't want my only experience of it to be of pain."

"Kumo…"

"Besides…" Kumo stretched up and lightly kissed, then delicately licked a soft spot at the side of Kiri's throat. Kiri shivered and moaned, his whole body aching with want. "Besides, don't you want to know? All the things we've heard, and what Hoshi and Arashi have told us it's like… don't you want to find out if it's true? I've been dreaming of it, for such a long time…" Kumo smiled slightly, giving his brother a patient look. "I _know _we said we'd wait. I _know _you're worried that this is too early. But I can't wait any longer, and neither can you. Please. Let's celebrate each other now, tonight."

"B-but we can't do it _here," _Kiri protested. Trying to keep up the other side of the argument would be hopeless. Kiri knew, and knew it very, very deeply, that there was no possible way he could be satisfied with resolving his desperately urgent desire by himself, or even letting Kumo do it. It was too late. Whether he was right or not, Kumo was going to get his way tonight.

"Not here," Kumo agreed, and pointed. "There."

What seemed to be somebody's house loomed behind them—in fact, it was the building they'd been making out against.

"There."

"Yes…"

"Some stranger's house."

"Yes."

"You're suggesting that we break into the house of some strange person we don't even know, stay the night there, raid their stuff, and have mad sex in their bed."

_"Yes. _Either take me inside, or I will throw you down in the street this minute and _rape _you." Through the jesting overtone, Kumo's voice was strained and urgent. "Hurry."

"Alright, alright, _fine."_ There was no way in hell that Kiri was going to let Kumo be on top the first time, and with both of them in thisstate already, there was no way in hell they'd be able to last long enough to find an inn that their friends weren't occupying. With no other options, Kiri would have to give in here, for the sake of his own pride. At least _one_ thing had to go as planned tonight.

Awkwardly, the two of them managed to maneuver themselves towards the door, stealing short kisses all the way.

---

Kaze and Lisa sat side by side in the apartment above the city's curative store, on what seemed to be the owner's bed, staring out the window at what remained of the sunset.

With a sigh, Lisa stood, walked over to the door, and turned on the lamps on either side of it. The soft golden light bathed them both in a gentle glow; it reflected off of Kaze's rich hair, bringing out the hidden auburn tones in a reddish-brown halo.

"Thank you," he said softly, turning to give her one of his slight, almost unnoticeable smiles. As she smiled back, she felt her heart turn over in her chest.

_Only love plays complete hell with your emotions, _she remembered her mother saying. And it was true.

Whenever Kaze smiled at her, she felt like she was going to faint. And despite knowing that he loved her as well, she still couldn't help the awkwardness that lay over her like a second set of clothing. She didn't know why. She had succumbed to her growing feelings long ago. They had kissed, so many times—she'd let him touch her breasts; let him touch her as, before, she had only been able to touch herself. It still made her face flame to remember how they'd acted the last time, instead of being the sensible adults they were supposed to be—and worse, when she felt the memory of his fingers running up her thigh to rest between her legs, she had to fight back a soft moan. She _did _want him, and she _knew _that the only way she'd ever get anywhere there would be to push him, but… there were times when she was so embarrassed by her actions towards him.

"Thank you… for standing by me, all this time."

Snapping back to earth, Lisa smiled automatically and slipped back next to him, pressing against his side. "Don't. It's all right. I did what anyone would have done."

"I… would have despaired, regardless… if it had been anyone but you."

"Will Aura be okay?"

Kaze's eyes were gentle as he replied. "She's strong. She should be fine."

"Mm." Lisa snuggled against his shoulder, basking in his presence.

"Lisa."

"What is it?"

"The darkness. It's… taking me. And I can tell… that it won't be long now."

She sat up, placing a hand on his broad shoulder. "Are you still worried about that?" Kaze was silent, staring blackly at his right arm, which remained (as always) beneath his heavy cloak. "Do you want me to take a look?"

He hesitated, and the look of despair in his eyes hurt Lisa's heart. But after a pause that felt like hours, he nodded and pulled the shadowy fabric back.

Lisa sucked in a slow breath as her heart began to pound. "God…"

What had started out as thin webs of insidious black and purple over the dull brassy metal of the Magun slid just under its surface in a thick and twisting mass, reminding Lisa somehow of the smoky twist of milk just poured into tea. Here and there a palm-wide patch of darkened gold still showed through, but this was far, _far _too close to the ugly, corrupted vision of the summoning gun they had all seen on the arm of the mirror demon Kaze had barely defeated earlier today.

It felt like centuries ago.

As Lisa very gently laid her hands along the Magun's quiet warmth and attempted not to flinch at the jarring discord that writhed below the metal, Kaze shook his head numbly. "I can feel it… waiting for me, just about to overpower me. I have only one or two summons left before the darkness takes me."

Lisa bit her lip. "Kaze… I don't know what to tell you. I am so sorry."

"I hate it."

She looked up at him unhappily. "But… do you really have to feel that way? The Heartless may come from the darkness, but… darkness and light are both a part of the world's balance, and without one, the other can't exist. And who ever said that darkness _had _to be evil? You shouldn't have to fear and hate something that should be as natural to you as breathing…"

A spasm of deep agony crossed Kaze's usually impassive face, and he gripped his arm, sweeping the cloak back to hide it. "But, this… it's…" He shook his head violently, making his long horsetail drag across the bed linens. "How can anyone stand to look at it? I wish… why couldn't I just have been born like all the others…? All it's ever done… was make me an outcast, a freak. At least _then _it had use. Now… all it is to me… is a curse. I hate it."

"Kaze, no," Lisa said softly, rubbing his shoulder. "You mustn't feel that way, not when it's always been and always will be a part of you…"

"But don't you?" Once again, those piercing cerulean eyes were steeped in despair.

Lisa blinked, surprised. He was worried that _she _hated him for being this way?

Slowly, she smiled, pulled her long black hair from its bun to fall softly around her, then settled her hands back along the surface of the Magun. Holding Kaze's gaze all the while, she slowly, slowly drifted her fingertips up along its length until she touched skin, then traced the muscles of his upper arms and shoulders until she could twist her fingers into his hair, trying not to purr as she felt him catch his breath.

"I don't hate it, or think you any less normal for having been born with it," she said softly, honestly, as she tried to convince him of her truthfulness with the directness of her stare. "This is your _heart. _How could I possibly hate your _heart?"_

"Lisa…"

She smiled and shook her head sadly at him, then leaned in to capture his lips with hers.

Her heart was still pounding in her throat, and not just from the pleasant hum of want that buzzed through her blood every time she got within a meter of him. If she were completely honest with herself… she was _terrified. _She'd never been so scared for anyone in her life. When she'd lived and studied at the university, she'd had it drilled into her over and over that she must never become close to anyone she treated—because a good percentage of people who required the services of healers were mercenaries or soldiers, who could be torn away in the blink of an eye. Sweet, quiet Kaze—who Lisa had long since discovered was the saving-homeless-puppies, can't-pass-by-so-much-as-an-upside-down-turtle-without-setting-it-upright kind of man—was also a warrior who risked his life daily to fight for what he believed in. And no matter how afraid of or hateful towards the weapon on his arm he was, he would still use it recklessly and without question if he had to, no matter the cost for himself.

When they went through the Final Gate tomorrow after the creature that had once controlled Azrael Astaroth's forces and Kumo's heartless body… the man who now clutched her like life to his body, whispered her name with a heartbreaking helplessness that made her insides quiver, would absolutely give himself up to the unknown fate that terrified him if he thought it would save her and the others.

And that just scared Lisa to death—because something in her heart was already preparing for an "after" the battle… an "after" that had Kaze in it. An "after" that would be unthinkable _without _Kaze in it. And then, after the "after"… maybe even a "forever".

And Lisa knew… she wouldn't be able to stand it, if she lost him.

The sharp, dissonant creak of bedsprings brought her back to reality, and she realized that she was sprawled on her back on the bed, with Kaze leaning over her. She was barefoot and Kaze's boots also seemed to have been lost; also gone was Kaze's cloak, and his horsetail had come loose, letting his rich mahogany-brown hair spill over both their bodies.

Much more of this, and she suspected that more than just their shoes would go AWOL…

Her breathing rasped as she looked up into his eyes, seeing only the aching longing and love there. She knew what he wanted—how could she not?—in the press of their bodies; could feel it against her like a silent promise.

So before he could back away and retreat into that shy formality like the last time, she clutched his shoulders and made him _really _look at her, so that he would know why she was saying it when she did.

"I love you."

He flushed instantly. "L-Lisa…"

She hushed him, and reached up to stroke the side of his face. "It's the truth. And… after tonight, after we pass through that Gate tomorrow… all of us know that nothing will _ever _be the same again. This is a night of last chances, and we can't afford to think about the maybes except to realize that if everything isn't said and done _now, _while it still _can _be said and done, it's likely that we're going to regret it."

"Lisa… what are you… saying…?"

He looked so cute once she'd perplexed him, Lisa thought with a smile. "I'm saying… that I'm not going to let you get away tonight." She rose from the mattress, pressed her body to his, and clenched her hands on the back of his vest. "Kaze… make love to me."

---

After an hour-long battle with herself, Fabula felt the sigh and retreat of her common sense, then got up to ascend the stairs to the inn's second floor.

Kiri and Kumo had left long ago to talk; Kaze and Lisa had wanted some space to be together. Aura had retreated upstairs at her first opportunity.

And so she'd just been sitting here, arguing silently but bitterly with herself in the confines of her own eon-old mind.

She might have the _age _and _experience _of a Guide, but for all the lonely years of her long life, her body had retained the solemn, silent needs of a young woman. And her heart had carried its scandalous secret for longer than she cared to recount. The truth of both had gone ignored for too long to be healthy.

And Aura had seen it anyway, from the moment the two of them had met.

_"So... how long have you known?"_

Trust her to put it like that. Unlike Kumo and most of those she'd Guided over the millennia, Aura had very little tact, which she refused to utilize. Fabula had nearly died of shock, and still hadn't gotten over the amazement of being recognized for what she was, and accepted.

Since she'd been young (operative word), she'd just always seen herself with other women, the way she supposed most girls saw themselves with men, or vice versa. Not until she'd gotten to "marrying age" had it really sunk in that most people weren't like that. And, of course, she hadn't told anyone. That sort of thing had been looked down upon in her homeland, all those years ago—to speak openly of her sexual preferences to anyone was to invite ostracism even further than what she'd already experienced, chosen so young to become a Guide.

But Aura understood.

Aura was special—different in her own way, or at least, that was how Fabula was prepared to accept it. She was intelligent and funny, and though she was definitely rough around the edges, she was one of the most interesting individuals that Fabula had ever met. Her practicality was charming; her devotion to Kaze was, in its own way, as sweet as the love between her dear Kiri and Kumo. Her laugh was bright and attention-stealing; her crooked, almost scurrilous smile was entrancing.

Aura had beyond a doubt grown to be the closest friend she'd ever had.

And Aura needed help. She was still in shock from finding out the painful truth behind her birth. Her agonized cry of _"What _am _I?!" _still made something in Fabula's chest twist; she'd remember that desperate look in the other girl's silver eyes, as well as the first tears Aura had shed since the two of them had met, for the rest of her long life.

Aura was going to need someone who could understand.

_Kiri must be rubbing off on me more than I realized. _Fabula shook her head at herself, even as she paused on the steps, shifting her weight to one side indecisively. _I never would've done this before I'd met him, or any of the others._

But this was _Aura. _So in the end, she had no choice.

Sighing, she finished the walk up the stairs and gently pushed open the only closed door in the hall.

"Hey," she said softly, seeing Aura curled up on the bed, staring blankly at the wall. There were still red streaks beneath her eyes; it looked like she'd cried for quite some time.

"Hey yourself," Aura rasped in a voice that was half gone.

Shoving all vestiges of shyness and uncertainty into the back corners of her mind, Fabula crossed the room and sat beside her, slinging an arm around Aura's shoulders.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Don't lie."

Aura rolled her eyes, regaining a shadow of her usual rough self. "I'm dealing with it."

"I told you not to lie," Fabula said pointedly.

Aura winced.

"It's hard, okay?" she said sheepishly, running a hand through her hair, which she'd left down. "I grew up thinking that Kaze's parents were my parents. That he was really my brother. Even with all the weird shit…" She shook her head. "I keep remembering things, where bad stuff would happen and I'd just sail right through it, feeling little to nothing. In all of my clearer memories I've had better emotional responses to things, but… even so. I think I've… actually been able to love only two people over the entire course of my life."

"Kaze," Fabula supplied. "And…?"

Aura was silent for a while, considering her friend's face for a long moment.

"May I do something stupid?" she asked abruptly.

Fabula started to protest that she was changing the subject, but before she could even begin to speak, Aura closed the distance between them and lightly pressed her lips to her friend's cheek.

It was over in little more than a second, but it left both of them red-faced and silent.

Fabula was completely poleaxed.

"Answer your question?" Aura, sporting an almost petulant glare and a particularly cute blush, asked shortly and bluntly.

There was another long and awkward silence, after which they both began laughing, relieved, at the pure absurd gracelessness of the moment.

"You've felt this way the entire time?" Fabula asked at length, unceremoniously shoving her hair out of her face as she gave Aura a sidelong look.

"For a while now," Aura replied with a shrug. "I thought you knew."

"You weren't exactly forthcoming about it."

"Neither were _you, _but I still managed to figure it out," Aura said flatly. "…I guess we both need to act a little more open about stuff. Well, I _was _sort of wondering if and when I should jump you, but I didn't want to scare you off and I went to a lot of trouble to not look or act like a cat in heat."

Fabula opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, suddenly becoming very red.

Aura started giggling again. "Look at you! _Father Nallorn, _can you blush. You look _ridiculous." _The giggles continued as she slashed the back of her hand across her cheeks. "Then again, I guess I look pretty pathetic, too… from one end of hysteria to the other in ten minutes. Wow. I really need to learn when to shut my stupid head."

Which set both of them off yet again.

When Aura had calmed down a little bit, Fabula closed her eyes and clenched her hands in her lap. She'd sworn to herself that she would bring it up if she got the chance, seeing as she probably wouldn't have another one—not when everything was going to be over so soon.

"Right, well… now that I'm up here and you've told me all this," she said slowly, elbowing Aura in the side and giving her a brief dirty look, "there's something I need your help with."

"What is it?" Aura asked, ignoring the slight dig and cocking her head to one side.

"All my life… whenever a situation's gone out of my control, I've never allowed myself to admit or accept that. Anyone else in my position should've been able to sit back and let everything with Kumo play out on its own, but I couldn't. I hate feeling helpless so much that I get flustered whenever I do, and I cover it up with a lot of anger and bluster and plans to do things about whatever it is that set me off. I don't take things like that very well—I just have this, this need to always be on top of everything, holding the reins. But _knowing _that sometimes there's nothing you can do… being able to accept helplessness… I know that it can be important.

"I think that… a lot of it comes from something that happened to me when I was very young. It was the first time I ever really _lost control, _and even though because I did, my people were saved from a very dangerous threat… when it happened, I… took hold of my full power too early. I couldn't control it at all after that, and I became a danger to everyone and everything around me. So I was bound. It's… a very ugly memory, bordering on traumatic. Ever since then, I've hated to lose control in any way, shape, or form.

"But today, it was… actually a very good thing that I lost it. If I hadn't—I might not have been able to save you. So I know… I think I'm learning that I don't always have to control anything, not even myself. And it's because I need help learning that… that I…" She fell silent, forced herself to remember that this was something she'd wanted, something she'd _been _wanting since—she didn't even know. "Aura, I…

"Aura… I need you to teach me… how to let go…"

There was enough suggestion in her words, and in the sudden hoarseness of her voice, that Aura understood immediately. She took a moment to stare at the serious expression on Fabula's face, amazed despite herself and the way she'd joked about this only minutes ago.

_She means it. She decided that fast, even after just finding out the truth from me. Incredible._

Shaking off the wonder, Aura let a slow, furtive smile spread across her face.

"I think I can help you," she murmured, her silvery eyes going dark and smoky as she reached across to take Fabula's hand.

---

Kiri fumbled with the clasp of Kumo's swordbelt, cursing, as Kumo successfully slid his brother's off, then swiftly unhooked the Mistbelt hanging at an angle along Kiri's sharp hips. The damn thing did _not _want to cooperate, and the lust pounding like a second heartbeat through Kiri's body wasn't exactly helping the situation.

"Let me," Kumo managed in between panting breaths, pushing Kiri's hands away. As his lover worked at the stubborn clasp, Kiri growled and undid his brother's Mistbelt, dumping it unceremoniously on the floor. Seconds later, the swordbelt followed it.

"Mmn…" Kiri pushed Kumo up against the door they'd just wrestled through, pressing their bodies together almost violently as they kissed voraciously.

Every time they pulled back for a few seconds to breathe, Kumo let out a gasp for air that was half-sob; then once they captured each other's lips again, a sexy little tremor ran through his body, a shiver of mingled terror and delight. Kiri sighed into his brother's kiss, barely keeping the sound from becoming a groan.

"I want you so bad…" he moaned into Kumo's lips.

Kumo didn't answer with words. Instead, he reached up and deftly undid Kiri's choker, letting it flutter noiselessly away. The Keyblade pendant he'd unhooked with it hit the floor with a jangle.

Kiri backed up a step, pulling Kumo along with him, and carefully undid the ribbon around that slender white throat (which, he noted, now sported several pink marks where Kiri had nibbled at the skin). Kumo was still breathing roughly, and Kiri remained intent on the sharp heave of his brother's chest the entire time. What in the hell was so _sexy _about the shift of Kumo's ribs beneath his clothes?

The two of them managed to get into the hall before Kiri couldn't stand it anymore and slid his hands up underneath Kumo's blouse, tracing spirals along that tantalizingly soft skin with his fingertips. Kumo let out a breathy little cry as Kiri inched the thin white sheath of cloth up, finally pulling it over his head to let his lover toss it aside.

But as Kumo let his hands venture to Kiri's hips, starting to inch his fingers towards bare skin in return, Kiri pushed him up against the wall.

"Cold—" Kumo gasped.

"Not for long," Kiri managed. And kissed him passionately, breaking off only to shed his shirt when Kumo's hands started creeping back up again.

"Niisama—" Kumo moaned desperately. Kiri stroked his cheek lovingly, murmuring support, then slid his leg between his brother's.

Kumo cried out with shock, his hands finding a viselike grip on Kiri's upper arms.

"Steady," Kiri whispered, and pushed his hip up against Kumo's groin in a slow and gentle yet nevertheless calculated motion.

And as he did so, he watched Kumo carefully. That lithe young body was flung back against the wall in reckless, erotic abandon; Kumo's eyes were barely half open and his gaze was vague and unfocused, with the pupils almost fully dilated. His breathing was even more jagged than before, and his lips were flushed and swollen. There was a faint sheen of sweat along his shoulders and clavicle, and his nipples were hard—he was most likely not going to last much longer.

"Oh—oh—_oh—"_ Kumo sobbed. "Don't—I can't—I'll—Niisama—"

Kiri eased back; Kumo, still taut with sexual tension, relaxed as much as he could against the wall and struggled to breathe.

His eyes smoky with lust, Kiri started to undo Kumo's leggings.

Kumo sighed, but gave his lover a reproachful look. "Bed…" he said in a soft and muzzy murmur.

As the white fabric trailed down Kumo's hips and pooled at his feet, the redhead traced the ribbon-circled band of his panties with his fingertips, but made no move to take them off as well. Kumo was right. It was their first time together; they should most definitely do the thing properly, which required a mattress.

So instead of pushing Kumo back up to the wall and taking him right then and there as his body so insistently urged, Kiri pulled his brother along the hall towards the stairs.

They paused for a moment, leaned against the banister, and kissed desperately, as Kumo battled with Kiri's leggings impatiently. It took only a few moments before the two of them were able to stagger mostly naked up the steps towards the upper floor.

Picking a door, Kiri flung it open; Kumo managed to undo his loincloth as he was hauled into the plushly furnished room, towards the king-sized canopy bed that dominated it.

Kiri turned towards Kumo, his eyes dark with desire, and in one fluid motion pulled his lover's panties down his hips and flung him down on the bed so hard that the sheets billowed up briefly in his wake.

As Kumo lay stunned and gasping, Kiri stalked towards him with velveteen steps, then perched on the bed beside him.

Dazed, Kumo glanced up; Kiri looked fey and almost regal as he sat there in a purposely angular, overwhelmingly sexy pose, concealing breathlessness, his long feathery hair clinging to his sweat-slick body in snaking tendrils. Naked and beautiful with what low light there was glinting along the taut muscles of his belly, Kiri smiled dangerously down at his lover, then leaned over to briefly kiss Kumo on the lips, his expression softening.

"I love you," he said in a gentle tone.

And in one swift and savage movement, he was suddenly lying on top of Kumo, and they were kissing as if to express with their bodies all the love and lust they'd ever held for each other.

It was time.

---

Lisa didn't know how much more she could stand.

Within the past five minutes, they'd only managed to dispose of her bright armwarmers and his shirt and vest. Each moment had felt like it had lasted for _years. _Kaze's touch left an unbearable burning in its wake; she couldn't take it for much longer. She'd had no idea that he would want to draw things out for so long, considering the blinding speed with which one thing had almost led to another before.

Pulling her up with him, he let his hand rest on her thigh; as she rose against his body, sitting nearly straight, he began to inch it smoothly upwards, sliding it beneath the hem of her dress and over her tight derriere, tugging the cloth with it along her back and exposing more and more of her soft, passion-flushed skin.

Shivering under the intensity of his touch, she reached out to him, drawing her own hands across the tight, almost sculpted muscles of his own chest and abdomen, half-wanting to punish him for putting her through such agony of helpless desire.

The gentle application of nails and fingertips made him hiss softly, bringing a wicked glitter to his eyes. So this was to be a battle of punishment, was it?

As his hand reached her shoulderblades, he found the catch that held her breastband and undid it, pulling it along with the dress that he tossed away as soon as it was over her head. She squeaked in dismay as he pushed her back, but inwardly danced with glee at his blush and the direction of his stare.

He kissed her again—she gasped when he released her, let out a sobbing moan as his lips found the soft curve of her full breast. He gently drew her into him; as he ravaged her softly with deceptively tender caresses of lips and tongue, she clutched vainly at the bedclothes beneath her, feeling her world spin as he slid his hand between her legs. Left without choice, she bore it as he destroyed her between the sensitivity of his kiss and the rough rocking of the heel of his hand, drawing herself up and against him in a harsh rhythm as he shifted to her other breast.

Pleasure came in a sweet burst, but it wasn't enough. And while before, he had shied away and retreated into himself before she'd been able to slip him into her, he wasn't going to get away from her this time. If he was going to spend so much time on painstakingly driving her crazy with lust, she was going to have him one way or another tonight.

No matter what he did to torture her with postponement of the inevitable.

"Kaze, you—"

Her hands found the fly of his tough leather pants.

"—are a very—"

Fiercely, she undid the snaps decisively, one by one.

"—bad man."

She ripped them from him; he cursed hoarsely and kicked free of the encumbrance, his eyes dancing with a wicked light as he slipped her lacy panties down her thighs.

As she lay and breathlessly looked up at him, she noted the glazed look in his eyes and suddenly realized that he was probably at _least _as desperate as she was for this. Whatever reservations had stopped him the last time, they very much weren't holding him back _now._

"Lisa." He said her name gently, almost reverently. "You're so…"

But he just shook his head, apparently unable to find a word, and traced the curve of her body all the way down to her hips, until his fingers rested once again between her legs.

She let out a low moan as a violent heat throbbed through her at his touch. Something desperate and insistent tugged in her belly, and she thought for one brief moment that he would have only to move his fingers the slightest bit for her to come in a flood.

She reached out to him, grabbed his hips, and pulled him down to her.

_"Now," _she whispered, half-delirious with desire. "I _need _you inside me."

In answer, he leaned down and kissed her, and as she spread her thighs to him, he pressed their bodies together and pushed into her beneath her guiding hands.

She let out a soft gasp as she felt him enter her. In this, at least, there was tenderness without calculation behind it—though she was a virgin, there was no pain. It did feel strange for a moment—even awkward—to be so intimate, to feel him hard and full inside her. But as he pulled back and thrust, she was thrown into a dizzy realm of heady color and sensation.

Her vision hazed and faded as he crushed her to him, gasping for breath; her blood blazed with aching pleasure. She clutched blindly at him, her hands tangled in his hair, as he plunged into her, and out of her will her body jerked, almost convulsing against him. He shuddered, but held on; she could hear the rasping of his breath even as she drowned in him.

_"Yes," _she sighed. This was exactly it, what she'd been wishing for, dreaming of, for longer than she would ever admit to him. He filled her, and the places within her she'd come to realize were painfully empty sang with the fulfillment he gave her. This was the feeling she'd wanted, even more than the roiling pleasure of their mingled flesh—this _completeness, _as two people struggled to become one.

Reckless with the heady glory of it, she struggled and kissed and managed to roll him over, then sat up slightly, her hands on his shoulders, sliding herself over him as she watched him watching her take him.

Kaze relinquished control almost too gladly—if Lisa had been in any state to think much about it, she would have wondered if anything she'd said to him had caused him to give himself over so easily. He lay and let her ride, slipping his hips up to meet hers as she started to roughen her pace, closing her eyes tightly and letting out little breathy moans of his name.

She let out a tiny "oh" as the tides swept her away, trembling, unable to move forward. Heat seared between her legs, along her breasts, blazing up and down her body in waves of fire. Nothing could possibly be better than what she was feeling now.

And then Kaze took over again, crushing her back into the sheets.

Hard, fast, and vicious, he plunged deeper inside her, drew back that pleasure that had begun to fade, and doubled it. She gasped, clung to him, her entire body alight with him, letting him drag her back up that peak, speechless as he branded pleasure into her every time he thrust.

_"Lisa—" _It was a plea, a cry of desperation. She could feel him shaking, about to fall apart; once again, it seemed, he needed her reassurance.

Breathlessly, she drew him down to her, kissed him, putting all her love and lust for him into that brief brush of lips.

And lost to the wonder of the union of their flesh, she missed what she otherwise might have sensed—the life seeded inside her went completely unnoticed beneath her own cries and Kaze's shocked gasp as they came in one last brilliant flare of light, heedless of whatever consequences lay forgotten in the road ahead of them.

---

There would be no mercy from Aura in this.

And that simple fact was scaring the shit out of her.

"You really aren't used to being touched, are you?" Aura asked, amused, sitting nonchalant and wearing only the wicked smile of a cat about to pounce.

"No, I—I've never… done this before." And it was awkward. Because she wasn't used to being seen naked. Or seeing others like that, either, as a matter of fact. Her heart raced, pounding in her ears; she tried to fight back the way her hands shook. And despite the reservations of her _mind, _her _body _was half-crazy with lust and built-up sexual frustration.

Which only made it worse, if you asked her.

"You can calm down now," Aura said lightly, yet patiently. "Just because it's your first time doesn't mean you have to be so tense. It's better the more you loosen up."

"Aura—"

"It's a shame, really," she said casually, placing a hand on Fabula's hip and lightly sliding it up her side towards her breast, causing her breath to hitch sharply. "You have a beautiful body. It's too bad you've never had anyone you could trust it to before now. A _damn _shame," she repeated, and Fabula shivered as Aura traced idle patterns across her skin with an errant fingertip. "No one should ever have to stay as far back in the closet as _you _have. I doubt I've ever seen _anyone _so sexually repressed." She smirked. "Well, I guess I'll just have to convince you of how fun it can get. Sexual release is good for you, after all."

_How can she keep her voice so _calm _when she's got her hands all over me?? _Fabula wondered giddily, even as she gave Aura a _look. _"I already know _that _much for myself, thank you, even if I've never gone past the 'unrequited crush' stage before." And she fought the urge to clap a hand over her mouth, which wouldn't do any good anymore. God, what was she _saying?_

"I think you'll still find that orgasm is more intense when somebody else is in control, not you," Aura said mildly, then frowned. "God_damn _it, _every _girl I've ever known has better breasts than I do. You have no _idea _how lucky you are." As she explored them with questing fingers, Fabula arched her back a little and gave a short breathless sigh. "God, this makes me want to pick on you." Seeing the look of alarm come over the other woman's face, she grinned, her eyes dark and feral with mischief. "Oh, don't worry, I won't get nasty until you know how to defend yourself properly. It'd be mean to take advantage of you when you still barely have any idea what you're doing."

_What have I gotten myself into? _"You're scaring me," Fabula said frankly.

"Good." And before Fabula could start to react to that, Aura leaned in and kissed her.

Instantly, Fabula relaxed, closing her eyes and letting the tension slide away. This was definitely better ground, and Aura was a good kisser—aggressive without being intrusive, with perfectly plush lips and a seductive slowness to her easy and practiced pace. It was enough to keep her quiet and unresisting even through the slight flicker of alarm when Aura slid her down against the mattress.

But not enough to smooth over the jolt when Aura oh-so-casually slipped her knee between her legs.

She couldn't jerk up—Aura had her firmly pinned, trapped between increasingly harsh kisses and the strong grip that held her against the mattress, kept her from struggling. The pleasure was instantaneous, and vicious, ripping through her with the strength of a thunderclap. And as Aura worked her, it came in heavy waves, leaving her shocked and breathless.

She let out one startled cry as she came, cresting the tide and setting her nails into Aura's shoulders. Recognizing the moment for what it was, Aura eased off the pressure and sat up, letting Fabula get her breath back.

"I do believe I've proved me right," she said, a complacent smirk sliding across her face.

Fabula just sighed, a slow and grateful sound, feeling the echoes of that throbbing heat wash over her body. She'd never felt anything like that before. It was incredible.

"Thought so." Smugness dripped from every syllable she spoke. "Your turn."

"My—what?" Fabula looked up at her, more than a little alarmed. But it seemed as though Aura had anticipated that kind of reaction, because then she took over.

It was impossible to tell what Aura was thinking as she took the Fabula's suddenly shaking hands and coaxed them along her own body, starting with her sides and hips, easing those hands along in soft, smooth strokes.

"You can do this, easily. Just go ahead and make me _feel _the way I know you can."

"Aura—" She had no idea what to say.

"Oh, just shut up. It's obvious that you're not going to seduce me with protests. Do the talking with your _hands _instead."

Okay, fine. And it wasn't like Fabula would ever give her the satisfaction of hearing the incredibly graphic come-on lines that had just popped into her head. Instead, she closed her eyes and let her hands glide on their own, exploring Aura's taut and highly trained body, sliding over her thighs and back, then her breasts. It was a pleasant shock to hear the other girl's soft sigh as her nipples tightened up beneath Fabula's gentle touch, to know that despite her distinct lack of expertise she was _getting _somewhere.

It was delicious torture, to touch someone like this. To have them do the same for you. And nothing could ever have prepared her for it. It was so much more than the half-formed dreams and wishes she'd entertained through her life, during the days when she was certain she would never feel these things herself. It was dizzying, and the amount of trust it required was enough to give anyone vertigo. To place yourself in someone else's hands, for good—it was a strange feeling, but it was almost as arousing as Aura's low and aching moan and the arch of that young and supple body towards her hands.

"Just take me," Aura whispered.

Fabula stopped dead; opened her eyes and stared. "Aura, I—"

"It's all right. It's not going to be any different than it is with yourself. Just do it. I _need _you to do it." And despite her expert control, Aura was on the verge of going to pieces—Fabula heard it in her voice.

When she didn't move on her own, Aura took her hands and slid them between her legs.

She was hot, and wet, and tense with the sharpness of desire. From there, it was just instinct.

Aura rocked her hips forward, arched her body inward, and moaned, long and low. "Oh, God, _yes."_

There was a hot, violent clutch of want that seared through her as Aura moaned again, thrusting into her hands, taking Fabula deeper into her. Aura wanted hard, and vicious. Until then, Fabula hadn't had any idea that she'd had that in her.

Aura's breathing broke into harsh panting as she curled her hands into the sheets, and moaned again as she came hard, shivering into her lover's hands.

When she opened her eyes, they were dark and smoky, almost vindictive.

That was the only warning Fabula got.

Aura's lips were all over her, spreading hot nibbles down the smooth lines of her throat, lavishing meticulous attention over the breasts she seemed to envy so, lingering at her navel long enough to nip and almost wickedly lick, then down.

And down.

Into the most intimate of kisses that they could share.

Fabula hadn't expected this, hadn't known it would be like this. Had never dreamed that Aura would use her lips on her the first time. Not this way. Aura was as skilled as she boasted, switching from gentle to voracious in moments.

And so slowly.

"Oh, _hell—" _Fabula closed her eyes, feeling abandon flooding through her with the pleasure. And all but writhed in pure erotic delight when Aura slipped into her.

Intoxicated, she arched, twisting her body to let Aura go further. There was nothing else she _could _do, hopelessly addicted to the sweet aching pleasure in her blood and the knowledge that the one she'd been lucky enough to fall in love with had put it there.

It felt rounder, more open, this time; still, the waves of pleasure were too long, too slow. She'd had enough gentleness for one night. She wanted Aura to stop being nice and _pillage._

And almost as if alerted by the thought, that was exactly what Aura did.

Fabula gasped, reared, and clutched the sheets, brilliance raging through her body, riding the waves of oppressive heat. It was too much too soon; she hadn't been ready to be thrown headlong over that precipice—

But she came, and she broke, and where she had expected to fall, she _flew._

Helplessness.

She could get used to it.

---

Kumo shuddered, moaning long and low, as Kiri ground their hips together, reveling in the sense of slick skin on skin.

They were naked, and desperate, the taut clutch of nervous hands on sweat-slicked skin and the ragged unevenness of their heaving chest and the surprised catch of breath at the friction as they brushed against each other, almost painfully hot and so, so close to what they both needed speaking of just how long they'd waited for this, just how much love and longing would be expressed in this.

Before, Kumo had wanted, and Kiri had wanted, brutally pushing those desires aside to conform to the expectations of their people, to the pact they'd made. And now, Kiri _needed _and God it _hurt _even as it was so, so _good _and he could hear in the bright tremolo of Kumo's pleas that the soul-deep _need _that overcame every inhibition between them wasn't his alone.

Kiri ran his hands along Kumo's smooth ivory skin, tracing wicked lines across the soft flesh. Reaching the tight, full curves of his derriere, he squeezed slightly, feeling the pangs of desire tearing through him. His brief, husky moan blended with Kumo's prolonged, fevered one; denying himself still, he turned the squeeze into a caress while Kumo half-sobbed in yearning.

"You know, you have got the _sexiest _ass," he told his victim hoarsely as Kumo continued to whimper. "I've wanted to tell you about just how beautiful you are forever… I've wanted to touch you, to be close to you…" His ragged panting broke his speech, but it didn't matter. Kumo knew.

"Stop _teasing _me," Kumo begged, his slight, slender form arching upwards in agonizing desire.

In response, Kiri kissed him, his ministrations crawling from the softness of Kumo's earlobes to the throbbing heat of his swollen lips. Gently, playfully, he nibbled along the length of the swell, flirting closer and closer towards the moment he would take what he so desperately needed. Moaning soft and low, Kumo slipped his tongue into his brother's mouth, seeking an end to the torture. While he had his captive so distracted, Kiri slipped his hand almost carelessly downwards, making a tender point with a seemingly thoughtless brush of nails and fingertips across Kumo's groin.

With a whimper, Kumo fell back, entirely helpless. _"Niisama," _he pleaded hopelessly, his voice cracked with the sheer vulnerability of lust.

Kiri spared a brief look down. Kumo's entire body was heaving with each breath he took, twisted in a way that had to be truly painful, quivering with need. The rail spike was still there. In fact, Kiri thought it was getting worse: It was stiff, hot, and sticky against him—and he doubted that all the stickiness was just sweat. Kumo's delicate features were bright pink, his soft lashes pressed to his cheeks, his swollen lips parted mid-cry.

Neither of them could hold back much longer.

"Kumo," Kiri whispered. "I will not lie to you. This is going to be _very _painful. But there's not much I can do until it subsides. Please, try to bear it until then."

"Do it," Kumo sobbed, begging. "It can't hurt worse than this—"

"Shh. Just listen to me," Kiri murmured, slipping his left hand up to rest on Kumo's cheek. "You'll want to, but don't fight me. Just hold on to me—and keep your eyes open." He pried his hands loose from his brother's beautiful, vulnerable body, found Kumo's hands tangled in the sheets behind him, and gently took hold of them, fighting the urge to smile as Kumo's death grip transferred to the hands on his rather than the sweat-dampened linens. "Are you ready?"

_"Yes—"_

Kiri didn't wait to hear anything else. Sliding his thighs under Kumo's, he jerked his hips and his brother's up, then in one swift, savage, gentle motion, claimed him.

A sharp shock ran through Kiri's body with the movement; he shuddered slightly, bewildered. His memories of the rape were vague, but he _knew _it hadn't been like this. He hadn't expected it to be like this. This feeling, and the _control _it gave him—they went straight to his core. And that frightened him.

Beneath him, Kumo let out a sharp gasp, every muscle going tense, and winced reflexively, whipping his face to the side and closing his eyes tightly. His grip on Kiri's hands was becoming painfully tight.

"Oh, God—"

"Kumo, relax. You've got to relax," Kiri said softly, urgently. "If you don't, it's just going to hurt worse, understand?"

"But—"

"Look at me," Kiri interrupted, starting to shake. "Open your eyes and _look _at me. I'm here—this is _me. _And it won't hurt for much longer. Please, Kumo, _trust me."_

With an effort, Kumo turned back, giving his brother a wide-eyed, tearful, almost demanding stare, hypnotizing in the fear and trust of someone about to make the largest leap of faith of their lives.

He was still tense, but Kiri figured he'd be able to remedy that.

He leaned in and kissed Kumo hard, with such vicious passion that it took his brother completely off guard. Unable to keep up by contesting Kiri's demanding intrusion with his own need, Kumo just lay still, stunned into sinking unresisting into the mattress, gasping fitfully whenever Kiri gave him the chance to come up for air. Some part of him was aware that Kiri was skillfully diverting his attention from the brutal shock of the conjoining of their bodies, but the fierceness of their kiss was blotting out everything else from Kumo's mind.

_I'm in over my head, _he thought weakly, then let out a short surprised cry as he felt Kiri thrust into him.

"That didn't hurt so much, did it?" Kiri asked him almost absently, then did it again. Kumo's body jerked beneath his in a sudden inward arch as he took another uneven gasp for breath, and he found himself squeezing his eyes shut again.

"Niisama—"

"Kumo, whether you like it or not, you are going to take, and take, and take, until I break you and you give me everything," Kiri whispered. _"Open your eyes. _I want you to be looking at me when we fall apart."

Kumo did, just as Kiri caught him by surprise with another, deeper thrust. Kiri's eyes were dark and treacherous, the love in them tainted by avarice. "Niisama, I—"

"Shut up and let me do things to you."

Kumo let out a slow, almost pained moan as Kiri slammed him into the mattress again.

Their bodies fit together like they had been made specifically for this. Kumo was tight, and the friction between the two of them intensely erotic, but not as tight as Kiri had first expected—each time he recovered from a thrust, their flesh slid together like silk, and that was somehow even better. They'd built into a rhythm now, with Kiri breathing hard and shallowly and Kumo moaning wordlessly, the occasional squeak of bedsprings punctuating the ebb and flow of their joined bodies.

And Kiri could feel his control slipping. "Kumo… say my name."

"Niisama…"

"My _name," _Kiri commanded, his voice cracked and urgent.

Kumo was silent for a moment, gasping, but as his brother crushed him viciously to the bed, he cried out, winding his legs tightly about Kiri's waist. "Ugh… _Kiri…"_

"Again," came the hoarse and breathless whisper.

_"Kiri!"_

And Kiri shattered.

The orgasm was brutal, and Kiri's throes wickedly violent. Pinning Kumo's wrists against the mattress, he let his free hand rove over his brother's sensitive skin, oblivious to Kumo's desperate pleas for mercy—pleas that exploded into repeated cries of Kiri's name as those demonically inventive fingers slid down to his groin.

It didn't take much. Kiri was just starting to enjoy the heat of Kumo's flesh against his hand when his brother's body curled inwards and his eyes went blank, entirely blind with pleasure. He came hard as he struggled against Kiri's confining grip and his hips pistoned wildly, crying out long and desperately.

For a moment, Kiri thought that it would never be over, as the pleasure grew too intense for either of them to bear. The next moment, it ended.

He collapsed over his brother's body, his long hair a dead, clinging weight against his sweat-soaked back. He could feel Kumo's still-frantic heartbeat against his shoulder as the young swordsman's chest rose and fell in jagged, stilted motions.

"I love you," he found the strength to breathe.

"Niisama…" Kumo struggled to reply, his words half-moan.

And that was all Kiri heard before pure exhaustion drew its black folds around him.

(TBC)


	36. Interlude: Three Prayers

Kokoro no Hanashi

INTERLUDE

:Naze Nani:

**Aura: **So now you all know why she's always been so bitchy and logic-driven and royally mean to the entire party! If I may just have a show of hands as to who was surprised? Heheh. You _could've _figured it out from all the hints I dropped across the story, but since you were missing huge chunks of Aura and Kaze's backstory up until "The Endless Ballad" chapters, I'd say that would've been a slim chance. I did tell you that there was a reason for it all!

**The Endless Ballad:** Obviously the title comes from Aura's true identity as the Endless, but the Ballad part comes equally from KnH's basis in music and the Black Ballad enemies from the Final Mix of the original Kingdom Hearts.

**The King: **Our heroes may meet him someday. As to who he is? It's obvious if you have any knowledge of the Kingdom Hearts games. If you don't… well. Things that are dead obvious, I don't need to keep secret. Sing it with me: M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E… (/shot) I'm not the biggest Mickey fan when it comes to Disney canon, but in the KH series, Mickey pwns, and it's hard not to love that.

**Maduin:** Kaze doesn't really summon Maduin in any part of FF:U, at least to my knowledge (the novel, "Their Bond", still hasn't been translated yet, after all…)—I made Kaze summon him because Maduin's really the only Holy-based summon I know of except Alexander, and Maduin's history in the game that introduced him (FFVI) was particularly appropriate for this moment in Kaze and Lisa's relationship. AWW, ROMANCE. But seriously, though, Maduin is epic win. So of course he had to show up here.

**Mary's Diary: **Anyone remember how way, way, _way _back when, Joe told us how Mary left to try to contact the capital…? This was closure for that part of the story, as well as a way to alert Fabula to the truth about what was really going on.

**About what's going on…?:** As promised, Fabula will explain the situation in the next chapter. I'm not going to spoil it for you at all; y'all can wait like good little readers until she spills.

**Fabula's Transformation and Ultima: **Ultima is a powerful spell used throughout the FF series (first seen in FFII) as the ultimate nonelemental spell, and it's often personified as the powerful monster Ultima Weapon, the counterpart of the infamous Omega Weapon. In many of my works, such as the –nH series and Midnight, the form its beam takes (a spiral around a straight line) symbolizes the holy union of Soil and Mist that represents the true meaning of being Unlimited. This will probably not be mentioned again in KnH, so I figured I'd better at least point out that much. Once she's released her full powers, Fabula takes the form of a white-clothed goddess with blue wings (if you've seen the end of Tales of Symphonia, you should get the reference in their design…), and her hair is quite a bit shorter than usual (it's layered and has different lengths, so this would be shoulder-length to roughly bust-length). How much power she uses to break the seal determines how long she can remain in Ultima form.

**Say what now about Unlimited?: **Think about it for a moment or two, and you, like the rest of us, will notice that Fabula is in actuality the third Unlimited _in FF:U canon,_ not just here in KnH. Here, she's already explained that she can't access her powers without great cost because they were sealed before she became a Guide. Her backstory will _not, _however, be disclosed here, unlike the other characters' pasts. You'll learn more about the circumstances under which she first used Ultima in Hikari no Hanashi.

**The Heartless guarding Ivalice: **I know it's really, _really _hard to tell, but the five of them are actually Marche, Ritz, Mewt, Doned, and Llednar from FFTA. The setup of the battle, and the short scene before it, are a reference to the first Ambervale battle in that game.

"**Stupid Kiri": **Note that even though Aura was irritated with him, she's still calling him by first name… You've probably noticed this trend with Lisa, as well—the way the characters address each other is partially indicative of their relationships. Even though they'd been through a lot and grown very close, Aura's continual reference to Kiri and Lisa by last name was a conscious choice on her part, which is both rude and very disrespectful, as it hints that even after everything, she still dislikes and distrusts them. She started calling Kiri by first name, if you remember, after Kara raped him—when, in essence, she became his caretaker. Largely due to pity, she finally allowed him a lot closer to her than normal. Aura's just started to refer to Lisa by her first name and does so begrudgingly, mostly because she's decided that Lisa might be good for Kaze after all.

As a side note, Kaze still refers to most of the cast by last name. This isn't out of any particular disrespect—it's because he's such a quiet person in general, and hasn't formed close relationships with anyone but Aura and Lisa yet. Hence, if Kaze _did _start calling anyone else by first name without a suffix attached, it would be disrespectful, similar to Aura's continued use of last names—here it would imply that he's looking down on them and doesn't have to respect them by acknowledging what distance remains between them.

Characters' language is complicated like that. I'm trying to convey stuff that would be written in obvious fashion if KnH were in Japanese. (About in the middle of the story, I wrote out nice big charts of character relationships and how they talk to each other, with what pronouns and suffixes they'd use and all…) It's a real pain to do in English—sometimes it's very annoying to try to convey how Aura speaks in masculine terms—but if readers have gotten a sense of these things already, without my having to explain everything, then I've done my job.

**Kiri and Kumo:** Their battle in "Dragonheart" consciously played on a light basis in episode 18; the whole scenario was me basically turning the events of episode 18 on their head (which some of you noticed—good readers, cookies for you). Kumo's power hasn't developed to the point where he can stand against Kiri as more than an equal right now, and because he couldn't think while Kiri was forcing himself to think, Kiri was barely able to win.

**Dragonheart: **I'm sure that _several _of you figured out that I've been gearing up to give Kiri a Keyblade for a while. But still, the scene was dramatic and pretty, which was really the point. The reason why he has one and the purpose of all this gearing up will be addressed further in Hikari no Hanashi and _especially _in Saigo no Hanashi. Dragonheart was really fun to design.

**Ansem: **The Ansem of this story is, in Kingdom Hearts terms, Ansem the Wise and _not _Xehanort. Like with several of the other characters—Ai and Yu, most significantly, and also members of the Legaia cast—his age has been adjusted slightly. The changes to his appearance (longer hair particularly) are because of how long he's gone controlled by something that doesn't care very much about such petty things as haircuts and shaving one's face.

**Kiri's Tarot reading: **Didn't get the chance to mention this last time, but Kiri's reading _is _an actual reading that could've been cast for him. I'm a total Tarot geek myself (and yes, I _do _have my own deck, although I don't get the chance to cast cards for many people), and so writing out his fortune was a lot of fun. A lot of Tarot reading goes into being familiar with the ways the cards interact, and how they apply to the personal circumstances of the diviner. The Hermit, for instance, doesn't usually symbolize inevitability, but for Kiri's reading it did because of its universal meaning of a journey and all the cards basically screaming to him that much of his destiny was already foreordained.

**Absolution: **I drafted the first edition of that chapter in May of 2005, and have been periodically nitpicking at it ever since. When I posted it, I had to be sure it was as good as I could get it, since HAY, there _is_ so much important relationship development taking place there. Oh, and fan service. Can't forget the fan service. I hope y'all enjoyed that. If it were any more graphic, I'm sure I wouldn't even have been able to post roughly half that chapter on FF-Net. Hee.

**Since there won't be much time for this once we get into the next chapter and the rest of the story, how 'bout some morning after scenes, further relationship development, and (shock, gasp!) Lisa's backstory? Have fun, y'all!**

---

Mittsu no Inori

_The fate that's awaiting us all in the end—I want to forget it when I'm with you._

---

The birds' chirping and the pale light of dawn slowly, gently brought Kiri out of what felt like the best sleep he'd had in months.

"Nn." He squeezed his eyes a little more firmly closed. He _so _did not want to wake up. He felt wonderful—a few aches here and there where he'd overstrained muscles fighting, and his hips were a bit sore, but the tangled sheets were so warm on his bare skin and the air was pleasantly cool on every part of his body that wasn't covered.

Unfortunately, though, Kiri found that he couldn't just willfully go under again. With a despairing sigh, he opened his eyes and smiled at what he saw.

He and Kumo had fallen asleep curled around each other, and even now, Kumo was nestled closely into the curve of his body, the graceful line of one arm arced over the crumpled sheets to rest along Kiri's waist, the other folded between their bodies, the lovely long fingers curled endearingly around a stray tuft of Kiri's hair. Kumo hadn't awakened yet, and the way the low light teased shadow along his slightly parted lips, the delicate brush of his black lashes against his cheeks, and the mussed fluff of white that curved appealingly around the nape of Kumo's neck held a picturesque beauty that just about broke Kiri's heart.

Smiling, he leaned down and very lightly kissed Kumo's cheek. His brother murmured and shifted in his sleep, but didn't wake.

It must have taken real courage for Kumo to come on to him so viciously the night before, Kiri knew. But he was grateful, so grateful that he hadn't been able to resist being tempted. He'd always entertained the vague fear that there would be nothing but guilt in a morning after that came before they'd planned, but—although Kiri _knew _that he'd caused Kumo deep physical pain in their savage, awkward coupling, he also knew that they'd shared something incredibly precious. Kumo had been right, _very _right—it was a good thing that they had this now, that they would always have their memories of being together, no matter what happened in the future.

His heart so full of love that it almost hurt, Kiri gently slid out of bed, careful not to wake Kumo as he did so. As long as he couldn't get back to sleep, he might as well collect their clothes and try to find out what, if anything, there was to eat here.

---

Aura woke to the steady drone of rattling water droplets.

She was a lot groggier than usual, but then, she'd stayed up a lot _later _than she usually did. Her eyes felt heavy and gritty, probably because she'd cried—_ugh, _if this was how people usually felt after tears, she definitely wasn't sorry to have missed out on the experience until now. As for the rest of her—her body had that loose, limber feeling she'd come to expect after sex, but she was a lot more relaxed than she remembered having been before.

Then again, Aura didn't think she'd ever spent a full night with someone who realized that they called it _fooling around _because there were bound to be moments of awkwardness when you were inexperienced, and stuck with it long enough for things to get _very _hot, and _very _good. Nothing had ever… _clicked _for her like that before, and it had felt _right _sleeping next to Fabula, in a way that it never had with anyone else.

Aura felt as though something missing had finally slipped into place.

So… she could be sure this wasn't just 'attraction' or 'feelings' alone. _…Love. _It was a strange word, one that had always felt out of place for anyone other than Kaze, and one that felt even _more _out of place now that she knew—what she was. Still, there was a warm pain in her—from deep in her soul when she considered it now.

She sat up, sighing. The other half of the bed was empty, the sheets neatly turned down without disturbing her own side, the pillow and bedclothes still rumpled. When Aura touched the slight indentation, it was warm.

Making a face, she sat up and picked her way across a floor strewn with discarded clothes to the bathroom. Since this was a fairly high-class inn, it was big, with a sliding sheet of glass to cut off the shower instead of a row of curtains.

"I thought you'd be out for a while yet," Fabula said with a glance over her shoulder at Aura before she closed her eyes and leaned back into the water's heavy spray.

"Yeah, well. Showers are _loud." _Aura sat on the wooden bench next to the wall and leaned back as she watched. Soaked through, Fabula's long silver hair trailed in wispy tendrils to her body appealingly, beads of water coursing down their length. It was close to the color of Aura's hair now, deep silvery-gray—Aura's turned very dark, near the color of molten lead, when it was wet. She admired her friend and lover's figure against the glass for a moment, then frowned as she saw the jewel hanging at Fabula's forehead. "You're wearing that into the _shower?" _she asked incredulously.

"I _can't_ take it off," Fabula told her. "It's not like I enjoy having my powers sealed, but really, this thing is all that keeps them in check—it's for the safety of everyone around me. As long as I'm alive, I'll have to wear this—I can't even remove it to practice my control."

"…That's a little harsh," Aura said at length, her frown deepening. "When all that happened, couldn't your people've given you time to adapt?"

"Maybe they should've," Fabula replied with a regretful smile. "But our strength had been drastically reduced, and everyone was in a panic. They didn't know how else to cope with me other than to make sure my powers couldn't break out. It was a long time ago. I'll tell you the whole story later, if I get the chance."

"…………" Aura _still _wanted to point out that it'd been selfish and stupid for them to not think of the feelings of the one who'd saved them, but for Fabula's sake she bit her tongue. As she sat back and watched, Fabula turned the water off, opened the shower, and stepped out, wrapping a towel from her breasts to her hips before sitting down next to Aura.

"I wanted to thank you," she said with a smile. "You've given me something important, something I've needed for a long time. I've—felt things for you, with you, that I never believed I would be able to feel for anyone again, not after the last person I loved ended up dead because of me. I felt—as though I didn't deserve that kind of happiness. But you—you gave me so much of yourself. That man… you mustn't let the things he said bother you. No matter _what _you happen to be, your soul is as human as anyone else's."

"…I should probably thank _you, _for telling me things like that," Aura said wryly. "I don't know what I am; I don't know how real my so-called emotions actually are. You treat me like a person, you tell me you love me, and you're even willing to have some _damn _fine sex with me, even though you know I'm not human at all. You don't owe me anything."

"…Hmph." Fabula shook her head and leaned against Aura, closing her eyes as her smile went crooked. "Lust is physical. Love comes from the heart and the soul. I've felt love enough to recognize what it is that draws us together. Either way—we won't have any regrets after all this. I have everything I've ever wanted or needed in life, since you've let me close to you."

---

Kaze and Lisa sat half-dressed side by side on the bed, watching the sun come up.

Leaning into his shoulder, Lisa glanced up at him almost shyly. "Kaze… would you mind it much if I talked for a while?"

He looked down at her with a somewhat surprised expression. "…No. What is it?"

"Well, I…" Lisa sighed and closed her eyes. "It seems a bit unfair for me to know about your background and where you come from, without you having any idea of mine—or what this… you and me… really means to me.

"Like I told everyone back at Conkram, my parents were married as part of a political treaty. My village lies on the border between Archaea and Qing'An, the country south of here, and we're a very small and humble place, where everyone desires only to live in peace. My mother and her mother before her and so on and so forth—all of them were born there, and every one of them died there.

"There's really not much of interest there to anyone—other than the fact that that village is the only place in the world where people are taught Kigenjutsu. Every woman there was taught it, and many of the men as well. To the duchy near us in Qing'An… we presented a threat.

"There was—not really a war, but a conflict, before I was born… or so I was told. Many of the villagers gave up their lives, and the duchy's army took heavy casualties, since they didn't know how to combat Kigenjutsu. Eventually, the duchy wrote up a non-aggression treaty with the village, and as a part of that treaty, my parents were…

"It—wasn't a happy marriage. I remember that much. My father was not a kind man, and he was interested too deeply in social status to really form any ties with my people, who he believed were beneath him. They split up when I was a little girl… my father had some crisis to see to on his family's lands, and my village wouldn't have allowed him in to see me even if he _did _want to. From that point on, my mother and I lived alone, and she trained me to use Kigenjutsu.

"After she died, I… I left Qing'An. I knew I could also use healing magic, so I went to be taught at the university in the south of Archaea. That was the first time I really ever had friends… or felt like I was a part of something I could enjoy. I love my home, I do, but—life there is very focused on discipline, so much so that kinship and even open expression of one's emotions are frowned upon. I was always told there… never to let my heart to ripple. But at the university, people told me that it was alright to feel shame and sadness and anger. I owe a great debt to the people I met there, one I doubt I can ever repay.

"Once I'd graduated, I found work at the Hayakawa fiefdom and continued to study. When I saw what Ai and Yu's family had… it hurt. I was—jealous, even, seeing that they had loving parents who adored them and each other and made their children their highest priority, even above ruling their lands.

"I… decided then, that if I ever fell in love, I would make sure I had that. _Real _love. For my husband, and any children we might have. Maybe that makes me as naïve as Kiri, but I believe that there's a way things should be. If I couldn't have that, then… any children I bring into this world will. I'll make sure of it."

"It's… not naïve," Kaze told her, seeing that she was finished. "It's… good sense. And a fine goal."

She smiled up at him, soft and bright in the morning's low light. "You forgot that it's advance warning," she chided him gently, almost playfully.

"…?"

"I want you to know all this because once this is all over, once everything is said and done—I'm going to marry you," Lisa told him.

She had the pleasure of seeing Kaze's eyes go wide with that peculiar masculine helplessness and watching him cast about in a near panic for something he should say before she rose up against him and kissed him into silence.

---

Kiri slipped back into the bedroom, laying out his and Kumo's clothes and weaponry on the floor for when they'd be ready to go. He had no idea where Fabula had managed to pull a set of Kumo's swordsman's whites from, but he was glad of it—that stupid cotton getup that those people had forced him into was trollop's garb. And besides—now that he'd succumbed once, Kiri was sure he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation to jump on Kumo if he went around wearing something that screamed _"ravish me" _as much as _those _clothes did.

As he walked back to the bed, he fingered his Keyblade pendant absently. He hadn't put any of his other clothes back on, but this was something of a lucky charm, and besides… if it'd had anything to do with Dragonheart's timely appearance last night, he owed it at least a good wearing.

When he eased back onto the mattress, Kumo stirred slowly and sleepily, opening slightly bleary green eyes and reaching out to Kiri.

"Take me," he murmured in a low voice that was nearly a purr.

Kiri shivered as he felt one long pull of desire through his belly, then sank into Kumo's waiting arms, taking a long taste of those sweet lips as he straddled his lover, with only the sheet in their way.

And then, not even that.

As they took their pleasure slowly and tenderly, almost in apology for the night before, the two of them and Kiri's sacred charm rang with the heartfelt plea in the back of both their minds.

_Please don't let the future ahead of us take this away._

(TBC)


	37. Destati

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

It was well after noon by the time Kaze and Lisa finally made it back to the inn, smiling, arm in arm. When they got in, they were greeted by Aura and Fabula, who'd been sitting at the table and talking in what had been the part of the room that had probably served as the customers' dining area. It took about another hour for Kiri and Kumo to trail in almost guiltily; it was quite clear by the faint pink marks down the side of Kumo's throat and across his shoulder that they'd spent the extra time away enjoying each other.

Fabula, however, either didn't notice or chose to ignore it. "Now that everyone's here… I'll explain what I can of the Final Gate and what our enemies likely planned to do."

"Before that, everyone—" Kiri smiled and put his arm around Kumo's shoulders. "We didn't have much time last night, so… I'd like you all to _finally _officially meet my little brother, Kumo."

"Niisama has… told me so much about all of you," Kumo said as he stepped forward, a shy blush crossing his face. "And… I remember you all, even if some of the memories are… still a little bit cloudy. Lisa-san, who saved me… Kaze-san, who fought so hard to protect everyone… Aura-san, who helped hear me… I… I want to thank you all. You've been through so much danger to help Niisama, and to save me… I-I am truly grateful to you all." Folding his hands at his waist, Kumo bowed deeply, then straightened up a little. "Even after having Niisama explain everything, I admit I still don't know much about the situation… but I would be indebted to you all forever if you would tolerate my presence with you a little longer. I… I know that the ones who did all this must be stopped… Please forgive me, as I'll likely be no more than a burden to you all, but… I feel I must do all I can to help. I will fight my hardest." He bowed one more time, keeping his gaze low even after he straightened up.

"Don't sell yourself short, dear," Fabula admonished gently, smiling at him. "With the odds we're up against, we need all the help we can get, and besides… we can't do this without you."

"What do you mean?" Kiri asked. "I—know that Kumo wants to help, but I don't want him put in any more danger." Although he didn't say it aloud, he'd been hoping that his friends would join him in trying to get Kumo to go home, where he'd be safe until all this was over.

"First of all, sit down," she told them. As they did, she shook her head. "That's part of why the Final Gate is so important. We all know already that there are many, many worlds in existence… they're kept entirely separate from each other except in times of great crisis, and the harmony between them is maintained through the delicate balance of darkness and light, order and chaos. But without the support of the worlds' core, the multiverse's continued expansion would collapse completely.

"In a handful of worlds, there lies a sealed pathway to the core of all worlds. Most worlds only have one Door—ours is beneath Windaria—which keeps out people and things foreign to them; these Doors can be opened by anyone with power from the inside, but can only be opened by a Keyblade from the outside. Keyblades can also lock or unlock the Doors. Because what the Gates protect is so infinitely important to every world, getting them open is unbelievably difficult. It requires the hearts of the four cornerstones—the children—and the key.

"In worlds possessing a Final Gate, every generation births four people whose hearts and souls represent one of the four elements that make up the heart: Love, courage, wisdom, and friendship. In our world, at this time the cornerstones are Ai, Yu, Clear, and Lou. Their hearts are powerful, but not necessarily pure. Once the cornerstones are assembled, whoever is trying to open the gate needs the key: A heart that is completely and perfectly pure, without even a single fault."

"…My heart…?" Kumo ventured softly, lightly touching his chest with a worried expression.

"Yes," Fabula replied heavily. "Without your heart used as the literal key to the Gate—or, I'm hoping, present when Kiri forces it open with his Keyblade—it's impossible to open it."

"It's going to be very, very dangerous if this is true," Lisa broke out, shaking her head. "The purer someone's heart is, the greater their lack of combat ability."

"Kumo can fight," Kiri said, shaking his head. "He's one of the best fighters I know—only a few of our friends, our teacher, and myself are able to get the better of him in a straight duel."

"Kumo's heart is… unusual," Fabula explained. "Because of its purity, it's powerful—paradoxically so. And he was born with an inhibitor shell around his heart, which both protects it and allows Kumo to defend himself. Even if we did have time to go into the details, I know that Kiri and Kumo don't prefer to talk about it, so I couldn't say any more without their permission."

Both Kiri and Kumo gave her grateful looks; Fabula waved them off.

"So what's the plan, then?" Aura asked, leaning back in her chair. "Those obnoxious assholes kept talking about a Dominion—what's that supposed to be, anyway?"

"The term 'Dominion' refers to the time in the distant past when the light was nearly extinguished by the darkness," Fabula answered. "The balance has always had its fluctuations, but that came in a time when people in many worlds were consumed by their greed and fear and used the light up. The children of the worlds still had light in their hearts, though, and eventually the balance was reestablished. From what we've heard, an agent born of the darkness is intending to upset the balance again, this time for good."

"That story… sounds a little familiar," Kiri said slowly. "I can't remember where I've heard it before, but I know I have. …This Dominion… it doesn't seem like the kind of thing we want to happen, right?"

"Most certainly not," Fabula replied dryly. "People have to have a choice between two extremes… that's what makes the worlds what they are."

"So it sounds like we're going to open the door and go through it ourselves, whoop the bad guy, and then come back here," Aura summarized. "I get the feeling it's not going to be that easy, though. Whoever it is that's controlling King Ansem, he _did _take all the Heartless in this world along with him."

Fabula shook her head. "We're… putting ourselves in terrible danger, but if the King charged with protecting the balance of the worlds hasn't intervened yet, I'm sure there must be an equal or greater threat that he's dealing with right now. So even though our Keyblade wielder is barely fledged and even together we may not have the strength to overcome our enemies, we have no choice but to try to stop the Dominion ourselves."

There was a long silence.

"I suppose… this makes things difficult, if not different," Lisa said softly.

Aura sighed and rolled her eyes. "Well, _as _usual, if no one else is willing to say it, I will: Judging by the fact that we may as well all have great big neon signs proclaiming 'Just Got Laid' hanging over our heads, everybody's got an _insane _amount to lose by throwing ourselves into this. So if anyone wants out, now's the last chance."

Everyone other than Aura went scarlet instantly at her typically blunt stab at the _real _issue of what was at stake. After a long silence, Kiri finally spoke.

"Kumo and I are stuck with this. We really—wouldn't hold it against you if you decided that you have too much to lose to do this with us."

Fabula shook her head. "I didn't willfully break every law that binds my kind to back out now. You already know I'm seeing this through to the end, Kiri."

Aura sighed and drew one of her revolvers, curling her fingers slowly around the stock and running the pad of her index finger over the trigger. "I figure it's high time that I face the ones that made me. Besides—where Fabula goes, I go. Even if we survive this battle, there's something else waiting for her and her alone that she fears, and I want to be there when that happens—I won't let her face it by herself."

Kaze stared at his sister for a moment, then levered his right arm from under his cloak and rested the Magun on the table with a solid _clunk. _Everyone but Lisa stared at the darkness that had all but consumed it, Kumo gasping openly.

"This… has always been… nothing but encumbrance to me," Kaze said, stubborn steel in every syllable. "Until the time… when it rests forever… I will use it, to defend… that which I love."

"…………" Lisa gave Kaze a pained, pleading look, then shook her head. "I won't leave you. Not _any _of you. I would never forgive myself if I did… it would be a disgrace to everyone who taught me to serve the good in this world."

Kiri sighed. "So be it. I guess that's it, then… we'll face whatever's on the other side of that Gate together, after all."

---

The six of them left the inn and headed for the bastion as the sky started to darken. Kiri led the way, hand in hand with Kumo, as the others followed closely behind. There was a definite sense of foreboding and slight nervousness in the air, but also determination—everyone here had made his or her decision, after all, and there would be no backing out. There _could _be no backing out, not now, when there was so much at stake.

Without battles or the distraction of having to search the place, the journey through the bastion went quickly, and then they were all up on the roof again.

The glyph—the Gate—and the cornerstone pillars were the same as they'd been yesterday (Kumo glanced at Ai, then looked away guiltily as they continued forward), except for the fact that without Kumo's heart at the center, Kiri could see a large keyhole at the center of the heart-shaped indentation in the Gate's center.

"So what am I supposed to do here?" he asked Fabula.

"Manifest your Keyblade and point it at that keyhole," she instructed. "Keep Kumo near you, and focus all your power on forcing the Gate open. It's not too dissimilar to some of your training, I think, so it shouldn't be a problem." Turning to the others, she beckoned for them to get closer. "Once they've got the Gate open, we've all got to go in first. Once they're through, it'll close, and whoever's on the other side is stuck."

"Got it." Kiri closed his eyes and held out his right arm, concentrating. The feeling he'd had when he'd first called Dragonheart into being was burned into his memory, so it wasn't like it was a problem getting it back now. That feeling of heat returned to his hand, and he heard the air shimmer just as he closed his fingers around his new weapon's padded leather grip.

He felt an answering tone from his Maken as he took hold of Dragonheart and held it up (was that _jealousy _he was feeling from his soul-sword? he wondered with amusement), then held out his left arm, turning to Kumo. With a nod, Kumo stepped in close, letting Kiri put his arm around his waist.

"Well, here goes nothing…" Kiri murmured, and pointed Dragonheart at the Gate, building as much power as he could muster as he glared at it.

White bolts of power crackled along the large key's teeth, snapping down to the keyhole. Kiri looked towards Fabula uncertainly; she just nodded and motioned that he should keep going.

There was a sharp crack of energy through the air, and magewind began to spin from the Gate, a deep purple glyph sparking into being at its center.

"Uh…" Kiri looked back at the others, feeling a little panicky. "Is—this _supposed _to happen? With Azrael Astaroth, it just kinda went _bam _and then—"

There was a loud _pop _through the air, and Kiri whirled, then staggered back. Some kind of monster had appeared over the glyph—a tall, brutish figure about twice Kiri's height, with a furred, muscled lower body and feet ending in cloven hooves and a human torso, topped off by a huge bull's head.

_Who dares try to open the Final Gate? _the thing demanded as it reared back and bellowed.

_"Crap," _Kiri hissed, and pointed at the giant beast. "What the hell is a _giant minotaur _doing here?! I thought we were just supposed to be able to get through the stupid Gate by opening it with a Keyblade!"

"How am _I _supposed to know?! It was an _educated guess," _Fabula yelled back at him, glowering. "It's not like I've ever tried to open one of these _myself!"_

"Will you two can it so we can deal with _that _thing first?!" Aura squalled indignantly, shoving the two of them apart.

The minotaur let out another bellow and punched for them. They scattered and ran back, Kiri pushing Kumo safely behind him.

"…!" Glaring at their unexpected foe, Kaze made as if to bring the Magun out from under his cloak. Unfortunately for him, Lisa and Aura saw it and ran out in front of him, both glaring.

"Oh no you are _not," _Aura snapped. "Haven't you learned by now that you need to save that thing for when we _really _need it?!"

"I will _not _allow you to endanger yourself like that when the rest of us can deal with a threat like this by ourselves," Lisa scolded, worry plain on her face.

"…" Kaze looked awkwardly from one to the other, then eased back, settled his right arm against his side, and put his left hand to the stock of his shotgun instead.

"Good boy," Aura said dryly, turning back towards the minotaur and drawing her revolvers.

Kiri hissed and shifted Dragonheart to his left hand, calling his Maken into his right. "I'll handle this," he called decisively to the others and ran forward, propelling himself high into the air to slash at the minotaur's shoulder, turning a graceful backflip as he reached the peak of his jump, then touching back down. As he turned to attack again, the Gate's irritable guardian lashed out with a boulder-sized fist, hitting Kiri hard and sending him sprawling along the stone. Kiri rolled in an attempt to absorb the blow, but his momentum carried him off the side of the Gate and he hit the ground with a sharp yelp.

_"Niisama!" _Kumo ran to him, kneeling at his brother's side worriedly.

Kiri coughed, then forced himself up on hands and knees, shaking a little. "I'll be fine," he managed through gritted teeth as he slowly got to his feet, wiping distractedly at a line of blood that trailed from the corner of his mouth. "We can take care of this—just stay back where it's safe!"

"But…" Kumo tried to protest, but Kiri was already shaking himself off and climbing back onto the Gate's dais, Maken and Keyblade in hand.

"Listen, you try to hit that thing with some kind of spell to slow it down so Kaze-niisan and Kiri and I can beat it," Aura was saying to Fabula.

"Alright." The Guide held out her left hand, but before she could call her magic, the minotaur stomped one of its big hooves, sending a shudder through the ground. While everyone else braced to absorb it, Fabula stumbled and half-collapsed, barely catching herself in a near-sprawl.

Aura was there before anyone else could even blink. "Are you okay?!" she demanded, grabbing Fabula's shoulders and staring at her worriedly, the fight and everything about it completely forgotten.

"Nn…" Fabula started to reply, but then turned towards the minotaur. "—!!"

Lisa had run out in front of them even before Aura had registered that their foe had been winding up to deal the two of then a crushing blow. With Lisa's Kigenjutsu, the air had turned into a shielding cushion, but the minotaur was still straining against it, huge veins standing out in its arm and fist, and Lisa was clearly struggling to keep her barrier up.

Kaze didn't even have to be cued—he was already taking aim and firing, hitting the giant beast with a vicious spray of bullets. Unfortunately, his shots didn't have much effect—even though they'd all hit the minotaur's head and shoulder, it didn't even seem to have noticed.

There was a flash of white, and then the minotaur bellowed, swaying away from the girls to glare at Kumo, who'd dashed forward with his Maken drawn to open a wide slice across the creature's leg.

"Kumo, what are you _doing?!" _Kiri demanded, white-faced. "You're going to get hurt! Just get out of the way and leave this to us!"

_"No!" _Kumo glared at his brother defiantly. "I won't! I _can't! _If you think I could just—"

_"Shit! _Kumo, _move!"_ Kiri yelled, cutting him off. Kumo blinked, then whirled back around to where the minotaur was swinging its huge fist back.

"……" Kumo drew back slightly, but froze, staring up at the minotaur with wide eyes. With a curse, Kiri lunged, crossing the distance between them and transforming his Maken as he ran, reaching Kumo just as the minotaur's fist came crashing down.

There was a huge explosion of light and Mist, and when it cleared, Kiri was standing in front of Kumo, holding his sword out before him—or, rather his _swords; _responding to his desperate need, Dragonheart and his Maken had somehow fused into a larger weapon, a Maken with the Keyblade embedded deep at its center. Kiri held it steady where it had absorbed the minotaur's blow, a hand on the sword's hilt and the other on the Keyblade's grip, just below where the blade began.

As he struggled, Kiri whirled around to Kumo, who was standing behind him and staring at the minotaur with wide eyes. "Damn it, Kumo, just stay back! You're only going to get in the way out here!"

Kumo flinched, giving Kiri a hurt stare as his brother turned back around, throwing off the minotaur's fist with a shove that he put his entire body into. As the big monster roared, there was a flash of blue through the air, then a sharp fork of lightning following it.

Kumo turned to see that Aura and Fabula were back up, the former reloading one of her revolvers while Fabula reached up to catch her chakram. Lisa was still standing in front of them, her staff leveled before her and a grim look on her face, clearly ready to deflect any further blows the minotaur might throw their way.

"Thank God." Kiri sighed, then began to run forward. "Alright, you guys—keep this thing distracted for me! I'm gonna try something!"

Kumo watched as his brother ran back into the fray, slicing and dodging those giant fists and hooves while Aura peppered the minotaur with spells that seemed to be having little or no effect at all. Kaze, too, had his shotgun leveled at the beast, watching closely in case it exposed some vulnerable spot he could hit. They fought like one being, their skills forged over their journey, doing all they could, while all _he _could do was stand there and watch.

His chest hurt, and he was still reeling from Kiri's words—although he knew his brother hadn't meant for them to come out so bluntly, he couldn't help but feel as though Kiri had still spoken the absolute truth.

_I… will I really only get in the way if I try to help? Even though… they're all trying so hard…_

_There… there has to be _something _I can do… _Kumo bit his lip and hung his head, tightening his grip on his sword as he held his fisted hand over his heart. _Please… please… give me the power to do something for them…!_

---

Kiri was glaring up at the minotaur, dashing back to evade another strike, when the brilliant light began to blaze from just beyond the battlefield.

At first, he barely noticed it, but as he began to feel immense power gathering along with that light, he turned. Then _stared, _transfixed, unable even to focus back on the danger so close to him.

Kumo was standing with his left hand clenched just before his chest, holding tightly to something heart-shaped, something like light made solid. As Kiri watched, Kumo let out a sharp cry and pulled it away, and that bright beam in his hand solidified into white-gold metal, ribbon, and the shape of a crown just above a solid gray tip.

As Kumo swung the Keyblade through the air, a bright arc of blood sang after it, splattering on the tiles, with a line of blood on Kumo's chest that evened out into a flower-shaped blotch behind it. Even as Kiri watched, dumbfounded and horrified and about a million other things he couldn't begin to name, Kumo held it up along with his Maken, and both were haloed with pure light as they gravitated together, the Maken taking shape broad and white around the form of the Keyblade, whose heart-shaped eye no longer displayed a grip but rather a huge pink jewel in its place.

"Well, I'll be damned," Kiri heard Aura say faintly.

Kumo took hold of his sword with steady hands and ran to Kiri's side, urgency all over his face. "Niisama! With me—hurry—!"

That snapped Kiri out of his reverie. Automatically, he drew a Mist bottle, shifting his grip on his sword as he did so. As Kumo joined him, he let go of it, letting it swing up into the air just as Kumo's sword was doing.

They'd struggled with this so much only months ago, Kiri remembered dimly as Kumo drew his Mist bottle as well, as they linked hands and faced their foe, as his Maken-Keyblade and his brother's met in midair and fused into the immense Cross Sword, slashed with red and white down each side, with the teeth of the two Keyblades perfectly interlocked where they lay at the center of the blade. Yet it seemed so natural now, so clean, so beautiful.

Kiri and Kumo breathed Mist in unison, squeezed each other's hands, and raised their Mist bottles, speaking as one. "Now again, it's time for our tone to reawaken. Play the soul's melody!"

They executed the toss perfectly, raising their linked hands high into the air, feeling the power flow between them, rising in their hearts. They called the last of the incantation, their voices rising in a pitched shout: "The Phoenix Duet!"

Their Ittouju burst into being, one red and one white, bright wings at their backs. They reared back, bright bolts of color against the twilight sky, then shot in a perfect cross at the minotaur. There was another burst of power, and a vicious slice of magewind funneling back towards the Gate, and then everything was still.

The Cross Sword gradually lowered, and Kiri and Kumo released each other's hands in order to take hold of it, both of them resting both hands along the heavy joined blade's hilt.

"What—_was—_that?" Aura demanded in a pitched voice from behind the two of them.

"Soutouju," Fabula explained, sounding tired. "A very rare technique, only used by Mystarian summoners. Two or four sword dragons, called by separate users whose hearts are in perfect harmony. It's very difficult, but much more powerful than anything either summoner could produce alone. Those two were in training to learn how to do it, but to my knowledge they've never really been able to until now."

_"Damn," _Aura said. Kiri tuned her out.

"Are you alright? Look at you, all bloody—" Kiri reached across the Cross Sword to pull Kumo's shirt away from his chest.

"It's okay, I feel fine," Kumo said with a laugh, gently pushing Kiri's intrusive fingers away. "I'm just so glad I was able to reach you in time."

"So am I," Kiri replied with a weak smile. He sighed, then gave Kumo an apologetic look. "I'm sorry I yelled at you… I shouldn't've. Forgive me?"

"Of course." Kumo leaned in and lightly kissed Kiri's cheek. "You were just worried. I know it came out worse than you meant it."

Kiri sagged with relief and gave Kumo a one-armed embrace across their heavy blade.

As they eased apart reluctantly, the others joined them. "Are you alright?!" Lisa asked, going pale, as she saw the bloodstain over Kumo's chest, already reaching out with a lightly glowing hand towards him. She didn't even give him a chance to reply before she began to work a minor healing on him.

"Heavens above, Kumo, watching you do that scared me half to death," Fabula said gently from their other side. "You _do _know that you ripped that Keyblade right out of your own heart, don't you? You didn't even give it a chance to gestate or manifest. That could easily have killed you."

"B-but it all turned out fine," Kumo protested, looking back and forth between Fabula and Lisa. "Didn't it? I-I'm sorry I worried you, but…?"

"Your turn," Lisa informed Kiri, and moved her hand from Kumo's chest to his.

"Thanks but no thanks—we need to go, remember? Before that stupid Gate decides to spawn anything else ugly," Kiri protested, trying to shrug Lisa off.

"Stop fidgeting, or I'll have to hit you with this," she told him in a no-nonsense tone, menacing him with her staff. Kiri sighed and stopped fidgeting.

"You two are reckless morons, even if that was _damn _cool," Aura put in, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrows at the two of them.

"Next time… think first," Kaze said, giving Kiri a stern look.

Kiri fought the urge to groan. You knew it was bad when even _Kaze _was lecturing you. "Yes, _Dad, _I get it now. How come _I'm _getting yelled at here, anyway?"

"I-I'm sorry," Kumo squeaked.

"And how is it _your _fault?"

"Finished," Lisa informed Kiri, stepping away. "Are we… going to try the Gate again?"

"If it doesn't work this time, then it's someone upstairs being cruel to us," Fabula said wryly. "With the both of your Keyblades and all your strength behind this, there is _no _reason it wouldn't open. After all, you have a literal piece of Kumo's heart in the key now."

Kiri looked to Kumo, who nodded once. The two of them held the Cross Sword up, pointing it towards the center of the Gate and channeling power down its length. This time, the huge fused weapon glowed, sending a bright beam of light into the keyhole. There was a crackle of power across the glyph, and the children's hearts glowed as a wide black-purple vortex opened in the middle of the dais.

The six of them stared at it momentarily, then Fabula sighed and stepped forward. "This is it—it's definitely open this time. Here we go…"

She took another step, then paused, turned around, and walked back towards Aura. After staring soulfully at the Endless for half a heartbeat, she leaned in and kissed her fiercely, then turned back and dashed for the Gate, halting in its very center. Brilliant wind swirled around her, tossing her long silver hair and her black skirts, and then she faded into nothing.

"H-hey, wait!" Aura charged after her. When she stepped into the Gate, her body melted into darkness, and then she was gone.

Lisa reached out uncertainly to take Kaze's hand, then looked up at him a little fearfully. Kaze looked down at her and nodded once, and then they, too, headed for the Gate. Lisa glowed as she disappeared, while Kaze's form trailed into what looked almost like glittering white sand. When Kiri blinked, both of them were gone.

"Niisama…" Kumo whispered.

Kiri looked back at his brother, then leaned across the Cross Sword and kissed him desperately, trying to say with that one kiss everything that Kumo had ever meant to him, and everything he would mean if they both made it out of this alive. It was impossible, of course, to communicate all that through the brief tangle of lips, but Kiri knew that Kumo already understood it all.

It had to end, of course. The others were waiting for them. Kiri pulled back, his lips still lightly brushing Kumo's, and hesitated for a moment. "I… I love you," he said softly.

"So do I—more than anything in the world," Kumo whispered back.

And then they themselves were running towards the Gate, the beam of light from the Cross Sword getting stronger and brighter the closer they got. As they stepped into the pooling darkness, Kiri saw a brief flash of Kumo melting into pure white Mist before a strange feeling of not-there-ness overtook his body and everything went dark.

(TBC)


	38. Guardando nel Buio

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

Kiri blinked, feeling an awful wave of disorientation overtake him right before he felt his feet touch something solid. There was a brief space of darkness, and then when he blinked again, he was able to see and feel again.

He was standing along with the others in a place that seemed both open and enclosed at the same time, dominated by the biggest tree he'd ever seen. It had to be hundreds, _thousands _of miles high, and its branches spread out as far as Kiri's senses extended. Through gaps in the leaves fell dapples of light in every imaginable color, as if the tree grew straight up to a ceiling paneled in stained glass. As far as Kiri could see, tall grasses and bushes in lurid bloom and smaller trees ringed the big tree, straight to a perfect circle of rowan trees with their bright berries almost as thick as their leaves. The sky around them was the same perfect blue that Kumo's eyes had been when he'd lost his heart, and it was dotted here and there by puffy white clouds.

"What… is this place?" Lisa asked in a soft, stunned voice. "It feels like… it's some kind of chapel."

"That's because this is the most sacred of holy grounds in all the worlds," Fabula replied. "That tree is the embodiment of the delicate balance that supports all of creation."

"Are you… talking about the Yggdrasil legend…?" Kaze ventured.

"In a way, I suppose. Most cultures have some reference to a giant tree that supports all life, and this is that tree—it's real, and it's so much more important than any who don't know the truth about the multiverse could perceive," Fabula said. "Yggdrasil, the World Tree, the Tree of Ages, the Mother Genesis Tree, the Giant Kharlan Tree, the Mana Tree… every legend dreamed up by man is but a pale reflection of this greatest of all truths that allows us to live with free will."

"It's… so strange," Kumo whispered, looking around with large, bewildered green eyes. "I-I know I've never been here before, but this place feels so familiar…"

"I feel the same, actually," Kiri agreed, surprised. "I don't know why, but it reminds me of this place I dreamed about while I was asleep in Fuyushin…"

"A tower," Kumo said in a dreamlike tone, turning towards the tree in a slow trancelike motion. "A tower of darkness and stained glass, where I heard a voice…"

"Wait—_you _had that dream, too?" Kiri stared at his little brother, shocked.

Kumo nodded. "The night before the ceremonial dance," he said, sounding a little confused. "Niisama, you also had…?"

Kiri nodded, then looked down at his sword, which had split apart from Kumo's but still encased his Keyblade. "It's where I first heard Dragonheart's voice. It was a strange place… it wasn't real, but it still felt almost more vivid than any other experience in my life. And even though it was a dream, I remember it in perfect detail."

"…" Aura closed her eyes and put her hands behind her ears as if listening to something, her expression taut with fierce concentration. "…You two can talk about that later. It's here."

"You can sense it?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah, and I haven't got a damn clue as to why you _can't." _Aura shook her head. "I can hear it—or feel it, I don't know. It's close, but it's—I think something's getting in the way. It's loud, but the, the—" She made a face and gestured in the air, struggling for a word and looking uncannily like Kaze for a moment. "The feel of this place, the life, the whatever-you-want-to-call it, it's stronger, and it's between us and the darkness."

Fabula sobered visibly. "It may already be inside the tree, trying to infect it. We have to hurry."

_"Inside _the tree?" Kiri repeated. "And hurry _where?"_

Fabula had already pushed through the greenery and onto a thin path leading right up to the tree, to something in the side of its trunk obscured by its huge, gnarled base. "Come on—there's not much time to waste. Follow me."

Kiri shrugged, then headed after her, with Kumo and Aura trailing behind him and Kaze and Lisa following in their wake.

The path was paved with thin, flat stones in jagged shapes, and it looked and felt as though it had been laid quite some time ago. With every step he took, Kiri felt that sense of familiarity getting stronger, and he slowed to allow Kumo to come up alongside him, then reached out to take his brother's hand. Kumo interlaced his fingers with Kiri's, squeezing his lover's palm nervously, as Aura passed the two of them in hurried strides to fall into step right behind Fabula.

"Hey, what the—?!" they heard her say a moment later, and hurried to join her.

There was a collapsed human figure lying next to the path, with black leather robes billowed and creased widely around its form. Long, cream-white hair spilled artfully behind it, with a few tufts curving around a familiar, battered-looking face.

"King Ansem…?" Lisa breathed.

Aura knelt down next to the unconscious man, feeling at his throat for a pulse. "He's definitely alive—he's just out for the count," she told the others. "And that evil presence is completely gone from his body. Looks like whatever creature of the darkness was using him decided it didn't need a puppet anymore."

"It's likely that it couldn't sustain itself for long periods of time in our world without a human body," Fabula mused, shaking her head. "From what I know of Ansem, he was probably just researching the wrong thing at the wrong time… Poor scientist of a sovereign. Always letting your curiosity get the best of you is what hurt the Windarians so much, too…"

"Shouldn't we try to help him, then?" Lisa asked uncertainly, shifting her grip on her staff.

Kiri shook his head. "We haven't got the time. Hopefully he'll be safe out here for the time being. You can heal him on our way back out of here…"

Fabula carefully stepped around Ansem, heading down the rest of the path to where a pale blue wooden door rested in the side of the tree's very trunk. "Kumo, if you would, please? I doubt it'll open for any of the rest of us."

"A-alright." Kumo raised his sword, pointing the tip at the large keyhole that dominated the bright gold doorknob. A soft beam of white light issued from it to the door, which shuddered slightly before the knob turned slowly. With an audible creak, the door opened inward into pitch blackness which was lit only by unearthly, ethereal patches of pastel lights.

They all stared into that fathomless abyss for a moment, silent.

"Okay, who wants to go through the creepy door in the tree to check out the ominous black inside first?" Kiri murmured under his breath, shaking his head wryly.

Aura made a _pfft _noise. "Well, I doubt they'll instantly turn on something that they'll perceive as their own kind at first, so you want I should make sure it's safe for you chickens?"

"Be my guest," Kiri drawled, making a sarcastically elegant bow as he waved her on.

Aura rolled her eyes at him and shook her head, but cocked back the safety on her revolvers and walked straight and unfaltering into the darkness, with Fabula just behind her.

Kiri sighed, then turned his heavy Maken in a perfect circle before him, making sure he was used to its slightly greater size and weight. "Well, I can't let them show me up," he said humorlessly, then headed in after them. Kaze shifted, lightly touching the Magun beneath his cloak, then wordlessly followed Kiri.

"Together, then?" Lisa asked as she turned towards Kumo.

"Together," he replied in a voice that only wavered slightly.

Once they were all through, the door swung shut behind them.

There was the space of a few breaths in which all of them were enveloped in absolute, all-enfolding blackness, and then there was a faint glow from beneath them that flickered, then flared into light. They were standing on a stained-glass circle, and as the light took shape into a wide flowerlike pattern in pale blues and golds, they all turned as one to Kumo, who had also begun to glow, encircled in a bright blue-white halo that seemed to issue from within his body. Lisa started to cast off light next, then Fabula, then Kiri. Kaze's glow was a lot fainter than the others', and it flickered constantly, as though it was about to die out. Aura did not give off any light at all.

"What… _is _this?" Kiri asked in a hushed but incredulous tone.

"Isn't it obvious?" Aura said, her voice as cold and blunt as ever as she folded her arms and gave them all a considering stare. "It's your hearts. The light in your hearts is reacting to something inside this place."

There was a great chittering from around them, and then they all began to see pairs of pale yellow eyes blinking from just outside their glass circle, with small dark paws and claws wavering and flickering over the light, obvious excitement in their squeaks.

They were surrounded by Heartless.

Instinct drew them together, back-to-back-to-back in a tight circle, ready to defend themselves against the onslaught that did not come.

There was a hesitant, wary pause in which they waited.

And then the voice spoke.

**(So. You have finally come, wayward children of the light…)**

---

It was huge. Huger than huge. It was _immense. _Kiri looked up warily, trying to judge just what they were up against, when he saw the tiny circle of stained glass above them blotted out by something purple-black and gigantic, then saw a huge, terrifyingly human eye open in that darkness, riddled with angry red veins, its iris shifting between myriad colors as its pupil widened hungrily, then narrowed, focusing down on them. With a gasp, Kiri staggered back against the others, starting to shake involuntarily. Was _this _what they were supposed to be fighting?! It was—it was so _big, _and it had to be at least as powerful as its size… did they even have any hope at all?

**(Ah. I see you've brought my plaything back to me. Excellent, excellent.)**

Behind Kiri, Aura bristled visibly. "Who the hell d'you think you're calling a _plaything?"_

**(But who else, my dear? I made you of myself, my daughter and my lover… Returned to me, we shall unite to create the **_**true **_**Dominion.)**

"Hmph." Although Kiri could see that Aura was pale, she glared up at the giant eye. "I'd rather die."

"You created life and gave it a mind," Fabula said suddenly, reaching out to take Aura's hand. "The children of Windaria gave that life a soul. She's beyond your commands now—by the sacred laws that bind all things, she has the same right to free will that all of us do. She's rejected you. It's beyond you to try to take her back by force!"

**(Oh, truly? And do you think your paltry powers can stand against the eternal heart of the darkness…?)**

Fabula shook her head. "Call yourself what you will, you're an agent of the darkness and nothing more. The way you speak, I doubt you've ever been anywhere near the depths of Kingdom Hearts!" Kiri didn't understand what she was talking about, but her words were haughty and dripping with scorn, an obvious taunt.

"I can sense the impurity in you," Aura said suddenly. "You're a part of the darkness, but there's something… something _human _about you. You're tainted, touched by the outside. You couldn't call yourself pure darkness even if you wanted to. We can all tell. I bet the _real _heart of the darkness obeys its own laws a lot better than this."

**(Insolence…)**

There was a coldness in the word that made Kiri shiver a little. He reached out to Kumo, who was visibly quaking, and held his hand tightly, seeking reassurance as much as he was trying to give it.

**(Very well, then. What do you think you can achieve here, in the very depths of my glory?)**

"You're facing three Unlimited, as well as something you created to be the heir to your plans… and you shouldn't underestimate Kiri and Lisa, either," Fabula said softly, her voice just as cold. "We _will _put an end to this… in the name of the balance. In the name of the King."

**(The King?)**

There was a sound like a scoff, then laughter echoed throughout the hollow darkness. Kiri's hackles rose, and he held Kumo's hand tighter, biting his lip and shifting his grip on his Maken.

**(An Unlimited with bound powers, one whose heart is like to fall to me at any moment, and one who hasn't even begun to awaken… my own Endless, and a pair of **_**humans? **_**In the name of the **_**King?)**_

"N-Niisama…" Kumo edged a little closer to Kiri, shivering again.

"Easy," Kiri whispered to him. "Don't let that stupid thing intimidate you…"

**(Very well, then! Let the King's messengers and their paltry light fall, and the worlds taste the victory of the darkness once more! Other than my precious Endless… none of you will be alive to see it, unfortunately. Your journey ends here… fall into eternal sleep inside of me.)**

There was an excited keening from the Heartless.

"Get ready," Fabula said in a low tone.

**(Kill them.)**

The Heartless squealed and surged forward. Before anyone else could even begin to react, Lisa swung her staff up with a cry.

_"Diaja!"_

Blinding white light streamed from the crystal at its head, making the Heartless shriek in pain and lurch back, most of the smallest and weakest of them erased entirely by the brightness.

"Good thinking," Kiri managed, looking over his shoulder at her. Lisa shook her head.

"There's next to no spiritual reaction from anything in this place, so I'm afraid this is all I can do," she said regretfully, though her voice was firm. "Please—beat them back, while I still have them at bay!"

"You got it," Aura called, and commenced firing blasts of Soil spells into the blackness surrounding them, wide spirals of fire and forks of lightning and beams of ice. Every time she fired, there was the despairing squeal of dying Heartless beyond the perimeter of Lisa's light spell, and a few pairs of flickering eyes went out.

"…" Kaze left the Magun beneath his cloak, but fired standard bullets into the darkness in an imitation of Aura's brash tactics. The basic shots that had had next to no effect on the Gate's guardian were still enough to kill the Heartless surrounding them, and every time he fired there was at least one thin, protesting shriek through the air.

Kiri just stood ready. Sooner or later, Kaze and Aura would dispense with the small fries, and then the bigger, bolder Heartless would start to venture into the light. His sword would be waiting for them when they did. Next to him, Kumo had also braced himself, though his hands shook a little on the hilt of his Maken. He didn't have as much experience fighting the Heartless as the others did, and definitely not in siege conditions like these—it took time to be able to look into the darkness of the overwhelming hunger to have the light of your heart without being afraid.

Strangely, Fabula just stood there next to Lisa, not doing anything at all though her hands were clenched around her chakrams. Kiri wondered if she was trying to build power to try what she had on Azrael Astaroth again, and hoped that she was—having that wild, unconquerable strength with them at a time like this would be an immeasurable blessing.

As Kiri had expected, eventually, Darkballs and Invisibles began to crawl across the stained glass and into the light. He took a deep breath, tightened his hold on his Maken, and turned to where Kaze and Aura stood, still firing into the black abyss around them.

"I'm gonna go clean up the peanut gallery," he told them with a fierce grin. "Try not to hit me, okay?"

"…heh." Kaze, who'd been looking over his shoulder at Kiri, raised his eyebrows, the corner of his lips twitching slightly.

"Aw, have a little faith in us, would you?" Aura complained, grinning. "We're better shots than _that."_

"I hope so." Shaking his head, Kiri plunged into the mass of Heartless slowly seeping across the light, first breathing a fierce stream of Mist, then yelling and swirling his sword through it, creating wide waves of power that streaked into the Heartless, tearing wide slashes through their ranks.

"…Niisama…" Kumo remained where he was, clasping his free hand at his chest in prayer.

**(So it takes more than numbers to make you understand, does it? So be it.)**

There was a heavy sound like something stomping, and then the ground shook. The small Heartless that had been swarming towards them halted in their dark tracks, then about-faced and slipped back into the shadows. The heavy sounds continued until giant claws appeared at the edges of the light, and fierce, ugly yellow eyes stared down at them.

"Oh, _fuck," _Kiri whispered, jumping back towards the others, nearly losing his grip on his Maken.

They were surrounded by no less than _five _Darksides.

**(Suffer.)**

One of the big Heartless snarled; a hiss passed through the other four.

"Damn it, _damn _it," Kiri growled. Should he try summoning? He wasn't sure if he could manage _five _Darksides, but it was better than nothing…

"Niisama—"

"What is it?" Kiri asked distractedly.

"Niisama, everyone, please cover me for a little while longer," Kumo said urgently. "I—I think I might be able to stop them for you!"

Kiri looked back at his brother in surprise. "Well, if you really think so, then I'd suggest going ahead and doing it, 'cause it doesn't look like the rest of us have any better ideas!"

"R-right." Kumo breathed out a steady stream of pure white Mist that haloed all of them, and pulled one Mist bottle from his belt, shifting his other hand along the hilt of his Maken. As Kiri tensed, watching the Darksides to see if any of them would try to make a move on them while Kumo was busy trying to summon, his little brother closed his eyes, steadying himself for a few heartbeats.

When he opened them again, their green shone with resolve.

"Let all fall to silence and my voice stand alone," he called, his voice ringing through the impossibly high dark tower that was the inside of the holy tree. Something in Kiri's heart thrilled, and he turned to watch as Kumo tossed the single bottle in a delicate but powerful gesture, cleaving it perfectly and artfully in two. _"Pure White Cadenza!"_

There was a brilliant white flash, and a silver streak arced through the air, solidifying into one of Kumo's slender white Ittouju, which weaved a complicated dance through the air before dipping in one fierce fast movement, piercing through one of the Darksides and then returning to its weave.

Kiri glanced to Kumo for a moment. He was hovering a few inches or so off the ground, one hand held out before him, his eyes closed in concentration, his lips softly shaping a tune Kiri could barely hear. He was putting all his strength into this summon, using all his will to control it, to make sure it would work in an effort to protect Kiri and the others.

Kiri smiled at Kumo, but said nothing. He didn't think he'd ever been so in love.

In a matter of moments, all five of the Darksides had been obliterated. Kumo opened his eyes, looked to Kiri, and gave him a shaky smile. There was a thin sheen of sweat over his face and chest, making his exposed collarbones glimmer in the low light.

"Beautiful," Kiri murmured, reaching out to take Kumo's hand as the Cadenza curled in the air with a proud hiss, ready to take on anything else the darkness decided to throw. "Just as I'd have done. That was brilliant, Kumo."

Kumo's smile spread. "Thank you," he said in a small voice that trembled with emotion.

**(I tire of these childish games.)**

The voice rang, bitter and angry, through the air, just before dark veins of blackness seethed out from the sides of the tower, snapping around Kumo's Ittouju and entangling it as it writhed in shock and pain.

Kumo gasped and trembled, his body jerking in midair.

And the darkness around them seethed.

(TBC)


	39. Guardando nel Buio, part 2

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

_"Stop it!"_

Kiri's stricken cry rang through the darkness as the tendrils of black ooze tightened across the silver Ittouju's body and Kumo jerked and shuddered, moaning in pain.

"Stop it! _Stop it! _Don't you see you're hurting him?! _Stop!"_

The darkness continued to tighten until there was a sick crack through the air and the pale sword dragon dissolved back into Mist with a low keening noise. With a choked sob, Kumo collapsed forward into Kiri's waiting arms, still shaking uncontrollably.

"Shh… shh, it's okay, it's okay…" All thoughts of battle momentarily forgotten, Kiri rocked Kumo gently where they stood. "You're okay, you're okay… I know it hurts, I know it's a shock, but you're okay… I've got you… I've got you…"

"What's wrong with him?" Lisa asked softly, looking over at the two of them even as she held her staff a little higher, trying to spread her protective curtain of light as far as it could go.

"You've seen this with Kiri before," Fabula told her in a low voice, obviously trying to explain so that they couldn't hear her. "An Ittouju is part of its summoner's soul. When one is destroyed instead of exhausting itself and reverting to Mist the way it usually does, it's excruciatingly painful for the one who called it."

Growling, Aura aimed her revolvers straight up, pointing angrily at the ugly, evil eye that watched them with dark amusement. "Hey, leave him out of this! He's just a kid—and this is between you and me, anyway!"

**(You cannot hope to win. Just give up. Why waste the last moments of life in pointless struggles, foolish children of the light?)**

"You son of a _bitch," _Kiri hissed, the words stiff with killing rage. "How _dare _you try to hurt my brother any more than you already have…? I'll make you pay for this—I'll tear you apart, damn you!"

"N-Niisama…"

Kiri very gently released Kumo, giving him a light push towards Lisa, then armed his Maken. As he glared out into the darkness, bright flames burst along the crimson blade, with Kiri's eyes glowing eerily along with it.

"Eat my Flare Sword, you bastard!"

"Kiri, what are you—?!"

But before anyone could try to stop him, Kiri was already racing towards the darkness, his Maken blazing brightly.

The massive wall of blackness scattered into squealing Heartless that scurried away as quickly as they could before Kiri could incinerate them. Maddened far beyond reason, Kiri dashed straight to the edge of their circle of stained glass, then leapt into the air, carving wide circles through the black mass surrounding them.

The eye rolled high above them, circling around to stare hatefully as Kiri lit its vast, encompassing being with the flames of his righteous fury. The lines of fire did not explode into the kind of blaze they normally would if they'd been lit on mortal flesh, but expanded in lines and curls that ringed the darkness with sickly light.

"Burn, you bastard!" Kiri yelled, and reached for his belt.

**(Enough.)**

The Heartless surged and squealed and swarmed up the darkness, fizzling into nothingness as they stifled the fires Kiri had lit with their own bodies.

In the next instant, thick, insidious tendrils of black had shot out, entangling Kiri's sword, his arms and legs, his throat. The darkness held him suspended for a moment as he struggled, then slammed him viciously to the ground.

_"Ggh—" _Kiri arched up at the pain of impact, still gamely trying to stand, though he just collapsed to a sprawled sitting position, the darkness winding thicker and thicker around his body.

_"Niisama!!"_ Kumo's shrill cry and the terror in it rang through the air as Kiri bowed up, letting out a thin gasp of pain, as an insipid layer of darkness trickled like oil over his chest, then parted in a tall thin oval out of which light poured forth, pulsing hazily but frantically.

"No, you don't!" Lisa sped forward with a cry, holding her staff out before her and sending more power through it so that the crystal _blazed. _There was a squealing sound as she neared Kiri, then as she held her staff to his chest, and the darkness crawled away from him, though it still maintained a hold on his ankles and wrists and webbed close and vicious over his sword. Kiri shuddered and coughed, and the wound in his chest closed over, the vulnerable flicker of his exposed heart returning to its usual steady glow.

"Ugh…" He shook his head, but still seemed dizzy, disoriented. "L-Lisa…"

"—!?" A thick band of darkness snapped from the viscous mass of the living wall around Lisa's waist, obviously trying to pull her off-balance into itself.

_"Lisa!" _Kaze's hoarse cry was shocked, fearful, furious. And it was followed by a deafening hail of gunfire as magical shots peppered the darkness beside Kiri and natural ones hit the wall near Lisa.

"Kumo, get them out of there," Kiri heard Fabula shout, and then there was a bright arc of glittery pink through the air as the chakram weaved from angel feathers shot through the narrow gap between him and Lisa and the darkness, neatly severing its hold on them.

Then Kumo was kneeling before him and his hands were on Kiri's shoulders, gently pulling and coaxing him up as Kumo pleaded with him, leading him in an awkward sprint back towards safety as Lisa ran alongside them, shivering, to Kaze.

"Are you alright, Niisama?" Kumo cried frantically, looking Kiri over for the presence of some wound. Unable to answer, Kiri just shuddered and felt numbly at his chest. It had gone so cold, and then there'd been a hot burst of pain, nothing but sheer agony mixed with a perverse, bitter kind of pleasure as his own body had opened, ready to surrender his heart to the hunger of the darkness. How close—just how close had he _come _to losing his heart just then?

"Stay _together," _Aura snapped at them, although the look on her face said she'd been worried. "You idiots. You could've died!"

Kiri coughed, shivered, and shook his head. "Yeah, but—_now _what? Your guns don't work on that thing. My spells weren't doing much either. Light spells like Lisa's work to a point, but only she can use them… and if Kumo and I summon, that stupid thing'll just…" He shuddered again, then grimaced. Kumo clung close at his side, blessed warmth keeping the chill in his chest at bay.

Fabula closed her eyes, iron concentration on her face, and sparks of energy pulsed up her body and towards the jewel at her forehead as they had when she'd confronted Azrael Astaroth. However, the jewel pulsed, sending out a burst of angry power of its own.

_"…!!" _With a soft gasp, she collapsed, falling broken and listless to the stained glass below, her legs folded under her and her hands splayed forward over her chakrams, trembling as she tried to hold herself up. "……"

"What's wrong?!" Aura demanded, kneeling down next to her and reaching out to support her.

"…I knew it…" Fabula managed, her voice so weak, so shaky—it seemed terribly unlike her and the way she was usually so firm, so confident. It scared Kiri just to hear her sound like that. "…I can't… break the seal again so soon. I'm still… almost completely tapped… I'm sorry, everyone."

**(You see? How foolish you were, to waste all your power trying to halt the inevitable…)**

"It wasn't a waste." Fabula's voice was still soft, still weak, but there was hard pride in the words, a pride that was somehow a relief to hear. "What good is having power if you don't use it to protect those you love? I wouldn't change my decisions even if I had the chance. It could _never _be a waste."

"…" Aura half-smiled and held her a little tighter, then looked up to the others. "Okay, so that won't work. Now what? We can't just give up. Summons are probably our best bet, but if that sonofabitch can just destroy anything you guys call…"

"…Then… the only choice left is to summon that which cannot be countered."

They all turned to look at Kaze—he'd spoken with such grave resolve. He was standing with his hand resting on the breast pocket of his tough gray vest, where two bullets rested in pouches separate from the artillery belt slung across his thin hips, his cloak hanging open with the motion, giving everyone else a faint glimpse of the recumbent Magun, its metal swimming with darkness.

Aura shook her head. "Kaze-niisan—no. You don't mean you're going to—?!"

Kaze smiled and closed his eyes. "It's… a far more preferable fate… than being consumed by darkness. And it's… our only option now." He hesitated, then looked to Lisa. "I have something… you must do for me."

She blinked at him. "W-what is it?"

Kaze did not answer her immediately; instead, he turned his most impassive glare on the seething darkness that waited patiently for them to come to their demise, taking hold of the clasp of his heavy cloak and undoing it, letting it slide from his shoulders to the ground.

In one sure motion, he raised his right arm, and the pale flicker of his heart within it slowly grew to a steady flare as the Magun bloomed there.

Finally, he glanced back at Lisa as he opened his breast pocket, drawing the two bullets and folding them into his hand. "…Finish this for me."

Before she, or any of them, could ask what he meant, he swept his first Soil into the open air.

"The light that fills up your eyes—Tears of the Rainbow!"

The Soil seemed white at first, but as it spun its bright arc into the Magun's chamber and locked in, its hue shifted to a pale green, then a deep gold, then red and blue and violet and black. It shimmered right up to the point when it disappeared.

"The ultimate spirit—Soul Gunmetal!"

This bullet was a deep, deep gray, but all of them could sense a fierce power within it. While the others watched wonderingly and Kaze stood resolute, Aura made as if to turn away, but continued to watch her foster brother from the corner of her eye, soft sorrow settling over her face.

"And, finally…"

But here, where Kaze should've named the final Soil to complete his triad, he stabbed a judgmental finger at the darkness, not hate, but—but a desire to protect vicious in his eyes. "The Soil with which to defeat the likes of you… has been decided!"

In a broad, violent gesture, he slammed his open left hand into his own chest.

Light. Brilliant, brilliant white light. It haloed Kaze's body and the Magun, a bright sparkle, as an ethereal double spiral wrapped around him. Through it all, Kaze stood with his eyes closed and something that looked like a kind of release on his face.

"Lisa."

She flinched as he spoke, as he turned to her and stretched his hand towards her. He was smiling at her, sadly but lovingly, and something deep inside her quivered as brutal fear shot through her chest.

"You know… what you have to do." He paused, then touched her right hand lightly. "My heart is… in your hands."

That sheer brilliance expanded until it was blinding, enveloping the entire tower. From the light itself, Kaze's voice echoed, sure and commanding.

"The helix of my life—_Endless White!"_

The light dimmed, resolved into gold, spiraling around Lisa now. When it faded to the point where everyone could see, Kaze was gone—and the Magun lay in Lisa's hands, its cuff tight against her wrist. It was a perfect gold now, without a single trace of darkness, and it glowed as brilliantly as any of their hearts.

Lisa stood there for a moment, trembling, tears all over her face, and then she swung the heavy gun up, pointing its heavy muzzle straight for the eye of the darkness.

When she spoke, her voice was an accusation and a plea: "So that this can end… w-without any more loss of life…"

She pulled the trigger, and the air exploded with her cry. _"Kaze!"_

The dancing spiral of the shot leapt from the Magun into the darkness, which pulsed and curled in on itself, finally letting the light from above shine through, faintly illuminating the blue-black sides of the tower.

As Lisa stood there, still shaking, still sobbing, the Magun dissolved into a spiral of gold, fading away into the air. Clutching at her wrist disbelievingly, she sank to the ground, desolate.

The darkness, now a shapeless ball, pulsed as light from the circle of glass above streamed down around it, then pulsed again. It began to resolve, taking form once again.

However, instead of spreading out along the tower, the darkness shuddered and twitched and shrieked into the form of a pure black dragon with broad, mechanical wings and wicked claws and a tail forked into three slender whips—a dragon with a gun-shaped head.

_—I will hold it with all my power, for as long as I am able.—_

"K-Kaze…?" Lisa looked up, along with the rest of them—his voice echoed from the black dragon, strong and sure through heavy pain, disembodied.

_—Madoushi—no, Akai Kiri… Shiroi Kumo. End this now, while there is still time.—_

---

Reality hurt.

Kiri didn't want to believe. He didn't want to think. He knew what he had to do, knew he had no other choice, knew they wouldn't survive if they couldn't finish it now, that if they waited longer than Kaze could last and let the darkness attack them with his immense power added to its own, there would be no hope, none at all.

But it wasn't _fair. _There was so much he'd still wanted to do, so much time he thought he'd still have. Why did it have to be this way? Why, when he and Kumo had only just been reunited?

Then he felt Kumo's hand against his, the fingers curling on his palm. Kiri looked down, and the sight broke his heart. So small, so delicate, beautiful and perfect. If anyone deserved to see tomorrow, that person was Kumo, and yet…

Yet here he was, willing, and afraid, and he couldn't let the love of his life face down the darkness alone—he just didn't have that in him.

Kiri turned to face Kumo, watched as those wide green eyes filled with tears, and lightly touched Kumo's cheek before leaning in to kiss him fiercely, desperately. Again—why did it have to be impossible to express an entire lost lifetime's worth of love in one kiss? It was all they had.

They held each other fiercely, never wanting to let go, but as they well knew, all things had to come to an end. As they reluctantly pulled apart, Kiri looked at Kumo desperately, searching his brother's face, writing every precious detail into his heart.

"Now—we have to reach deep, remember?" he managed, even as his voice broke over his tears.

Kumo nodded, unable to speak. They turned away from each other, facing what was left of Kaze.

Kiri closed his eyes and remembered the day his Maken had been forged, the way his teacher had told him to reach down and breathe Mist straight from his very soul. He folded his arms under his chest and bowed down, pulling for the deepest of powers, his final glory. There was only a little pain as the wings spilled with an audible shimmer from his back; it felt strange for a moment, but when he straightened up and opened his eyes, glancing a little behind him to see, the sight of the bright, translucent, flame-colored plumes that rose in two slender fans at his back was not an alien one. They'd been there all his life, after all, even if he could only call them into physical being now.

He didn't have to look at Kumo's. He knew too well what they looked like already.

In a slow, almost reluctant gesture, Kiri drew a Mist bottle, then uncapped it, letting its essence float away, then held it up, his heart pounding, his breath fighting to hitch, as if his body wanted to give as many heartbeats as it could while it still had time.

He took a deep breath, could feel Kumo doing the same next to him.

They spoke as one.

"This is the Mist of my very soul."

Kiri's arc just an instant before Kumo's, though they still called the fateful words in unison.

_"I must play it!"_

Not waiting, knowing that he would have to be first, Kiri pushed off and flew high, the flutter of his wings scattering flecks of gold through the air. He closed his eyes and let go of his sword, felt it swing into position above him, and put his hands to his chest, ready to speak the release key.

For a moment, he faltered; then he thought of Kumo, waiting still, and stared straight up into the circle of colored glass that painted its patterns against his face.

He drew in one strong breath, so that the words would fill the tower. One last effort to be remembered.

**"Symphony of the Red Mist!"**

It was the same feeling as when he'd gone through the Gate. Everything hazed and faded, leaving him with only his sense of _self, _and then not even that.

He heard Kumo faintly, somewhere near him: _"Symphony of the White Cloud!", _and knew grief.

And then, there was _freedom._

---

A pair of Ittouju, one red and one white, erupted into being, each with a broad pair of wings that tapered down to translucent, sparkling pinions in place of ridges of spikes down their backs.

Lisa watched with hot tears all over her face, and Aura watched solemnly, and Fabula struggled to watch through exhaustion and pain, as the two dragons spiraled through the air, twining and crossing and calling in voices that could've been familiar once. The darkness quivered and snarled, but then twitched to a halt as Kaze jerked it back mercilessly.

The Kiri and Kumo's Symphonies rose straight up to the glass-paneled ceiling, then danced in a cross down to the darkness. They struck it as one, and there was a bright explosion of power as the blackness of the corrupted dragon Kaze had formed with it crumbled into nothing.

The dragons' forms hazed and melted as the entire tower was illuminated, shrinking and shedding power and color until it was only Kiri and Kumo there, in midair, stretched out to clasp each other's hands.

There was a brief infinite pause in which it appeared that they were struggling for words, and then whiteness erupted, blinding them all, and power swirled up to engulf everything, and then there was nothing at all, as the watchers on the ground were enveloped and the lovers' tenuous grip was broken, tearing them apart, sending each one of them into the unknown.

(TBC)


	40. Simple and Clean

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

Within the endless whiteness, there was a sound—or a feeling—like a heavy thunderclap, and then they were back atop the bastion, beneath a sky clouded with impending storms.

Lisa just sat where she'd fallen, clutching her staff tightly, her deep brown eyes wide with shock and trauma and utter despair, filled with tears that waited to fall. It was clear that Kaze's self-sacrifice had broken something deep within her, and her pain was vivid and tearing.

Aura stood, put a hand to her forehead, and looked around, sparing a long glance at Lisa before she turned to Fabula, who was standing in the middle of the Gate and staring off into the distance.

"…Listen… I understand what happened back there, I think better than most people can, but… is there… I mean, is there any way…" She shook her head, looking back at Lisa hesitantly. "I mean—we saw Kiri and Kumo again, at the end. Is there any possible way they could still be alive?"

Fabula turned to Aura, then looked down at the glyph under her feet and shook her head slowly, sadly. "I don't know. There's no way for us _to _know. It's very unlikely that they were able to withstand calling the essences of their own souls like that, but if they did—since they aren't here with us, if they're alive, they could be anywhere at all in the multiverse. _Anywhere. _Any world. We can't know which one, or even if they're together. All we can do now is pray for them…"

"…" Aura folded her arms and closed her eyes. "…I still don't sense any Heartless in this world. At the very least… they're gone, and I don't think they can return unless they're let in again, with the Door. Right? Our world… it's safe again."

"…" Lisa didn't say anything, but she let her staff clatter to the ground and buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

"Small comfort, such as it is," Fabula said softly.

There was a long, long silence.

Then there was a gold shimmer through the air, and something small and pink with translucent yellow wings appeared near the edge of the bastion roof.

"…?" Aura stared at it, frowning. "What's _that _thing?"

Next to her, Fabula went tense. "That's—one of Cruxis Angelus' envoys."

The fairylike envoy looked around, then flew right up to Fabula, blinking up at her. "Kuu?"

A look of pain crossed the Guide's face. "…So soon?"

The envoy's questioning expression narrowed into a stern one. "Kukuri_yuuu."_

"Yes, I know." Fabula sighed. "I have done what I set out to do. …This is cruel. They've been through enough already without having to see _this. _Still, I'm out of excuses. If Mother Cruxis wishes to pass judgment on me now, I'll welcome it."

The envoy nodded, then turned a neat flip in the air, vanishing.

Aura put her hands on her hips. "Your boss is coming to ream you out _now, _when you just got back from saving the world? Damn. Haven't you been through enough shit for one day? I haven't even met this lady and I can already tell she's a bitch with one _serious _stick up her ass."

"Aura, stop it." Fabula massaged her temples, sighing. "I'm the one who's in the wrong here, in every possible way. I knew I would have to face this when I headed for Mystaria to find Kiri. There's nothing more to it than that. Just—forgive me for this, and… take good care of Lisa. She's going to need you."

Aura _stared _at her. "What are you _saying?"_

Fabula didn't answer. Instead, she clasped her hands before her and bowed her head; a soft glyph traced the ground at her feet, and there was a gentle swirl of light and wind around her body that swept a long, elegant pale blue dress and a hooded yellow cloak made from thin material over her form in place of the battered clothes she'd been wearing. Even though she didn't say as much, Aura could tell that this was probably the standard regalia for her occupation; it was clearly only useful for looking impressive, and not practical in any way at all. That cloak was at least three feet too long, and it trailed on the ground behind her like the train of a ball gown; the dress, too, went straight down to her ankles and spilled across the tiles and glyph of the Gate at her feet. With another, shorter sigh, she opened her eyes and let her hands rest at her sides, loosely fisting them.

In front of them, a far larger glyph flickered into life in bold pink lines. The air rippled and parted, and Cruxis Angelus stepped through the dimensions into their world.

She was a tall woman—probably an inch or so above Aura's height—and much like Fabula, she had a very ageless face. Hers was a bit on the heart-shaped side, with perfectly arched brows, heavily lashed golden eyes, and plush-looking, unpainted Cupid's-bow lips. Her hair was very long and artfully waved, and it was an unusual shade of soft lavender. She had wings, bright fans of translucent feathers like they'd seen so often with so many recently—but instead of being pink-purple like Kumo's or fire-colored like Kiri's, hers were a pure yellow-golden hue, and they were _immense, _far larger than any pair Aura had seen other than Fabula's. She wore a simple, sleeveless pink dress of gauzy fabric that fell in folds to her feet, and as Aura looked her over critically, she realized that her clothing was carefully chosen and arranged—the pink set off her skin beautifully, and the low neckline of the dress drew the eye to the way her full breasts rose against the edge of the fabric.

Still, it would take more to impress her than a pretty face. Fabula was just as beautiful as her superior, and she had a much warmer heart. Aura crossed her arms and gave the first Guide as cold a glare as she could manage.

Fabula sank to one knee, bowing her head and keeping the line of her gaze low to the ground. "Mother Cruxis."

"You know what fate awaits you by the law of our people," Cruxis said mildly; her voice was a lot higher than Aura had expected it to be. "You willfully broke those laws with that knowledge. You left your domain, abandoned your task of scrying the past, present, and future, interfered greatly in the affairs of mortals, and even went so far as to break the seal on your unstable powers."

"I deny none of it," Fabula replied very softly.

"What have you to say for yourself?" Cruxis asked.

"…Kumo Makenshi was a kind child… my beloved pupil, and my friend," Fabula said at length. "He was blameless in these struggles, a victim only because of a power he was born to, one that he never asked for nor fully understood. Like me, he was Unlimited. I… didn't want him to befall the same fate as me, and after what happened to the last person I Guided, I… I couldn't just watch and let Kiri try to go after him alone. While I was here… I experienced friendship, and acceptance, and love… and I was able to fight again for something important to me." She paused. "Even knowing what I face… I wouldn't change a second of it. My life as a Guide was killing me anyway. My only regret is that my time with these people has ended so soon."

"Very well…" Cruxis held out her hands. "Your crimes are severe, and they are many. The penalty for what you have done… is death. Do you accept this?"

"…I do," Fabula said in a dry whisper.

_"Now hold on just one minute!" _Aura snarled, shock jolting through her chest.

Fabula looked up at her despairingly. "Aura, please…" she began softly.

"Shut up! If you thought for one _second _that I was just gonna sit here and let you give yourself over like this, you need to get your head looked at!" With that, Aura placed herself firmly between the two of them, giving Cruxis Angelus her best glower. "Now _you listen here, _and you listen _good!" _She jabbed a finger in Cruxis' face—the first Guide merely raised her eyebrows, giving no other response. "First! If you're a Guide and you've been watching us all this time, then you know what was at stake here! You know the King's busy, and that no one was going to come bail our asses out of this mess! If we hadn't been here, the balance that keeps the worlds working the way they should would be gone right now! Without Fabula, we would _never _have made it to confront the darkness. Kiri was an idiot, and he—" her throat closed over briefly, but she shook her head and forced herself on. "He probably would've died without her keeping him in line! Besides, Fabula was the _only _one who knew what was going on here, and without that kinda knowledge, we'd've been screwed fifty ways! How can you punish someone for saving not just the _world, _but the whole damn _multiverse _too?!

_"Second! _You're her _boss, _and you should _damn well know _that there was no way in hell that she'd've been able to just go back to doing her job after everything she went through—_especially _since you told her to look after Kumo! Now, I didn't know him for very long, but—but even I could tell that he was a sweet kid, the kind of person you can't help but want to keep safe! I'll be damned if you didn't all but set her up for this!

_"Third! _She's too important to me for me to just let her go off to die! So if you think that I'll just _let _you do this, you _stuck-up bitch—"_

_"Aura, stop it." _Fabula stood and grabbed Aura's shoulders, turning her around and forcibly stopping her tirade. "That's enough! I went into this _knowing _that it was going to cost me my life in the long run! I've always known, and it's not as if I can't accept this. From the second I left my people, my life has been an eternity of dying slowly. I chose to really live knowing that it couldn't last, and I got the chance to change things… I met _you, _and learned that they tell the truth when they speak of how wonderful love is—that's _enough _for me! I can't just break the law and then get away with it—that's just the way things are." She shook her head, her eyes desperately searching Aura's. "I—would spend the rest of my natural existence here with you, if I could. But I can't. That's something that you'll… have to accept."

"So you're just going to _leave _me here then, is that it?" Aura seethed, starting to shake. "You're going to hurt _Lisa _like this, when she's already had to deal with so much? Forget it! Yeah, it's selfish, but you accept me for what I am, and I don't want to lose that—I _refuse _to lose that! You shoved yourself into my life, you pushed our relationship so that you could experience everything you could before you went willingly to your death, and now you're gonna have to pay for it—I'm not _letting_ you walk away from me, Fabula Kronos!"

"…" Fabula rested her hands on Aura's shoulders, then leaned in and held her close, although Aura stiffened and refused to give in. "…Aura. It—means so much to me that you feel that way. But… there's nothing anyone can do about this."

"Like _hell _there isn't!" Aura snapped, turning away. "You're just giving up!"

"…Thank you—for everything." She let go, then turned back to Cruxis. "…I'm ready."

"Oh, _fuck _this!" Aura grabbed for the stocks of her guns, but Fabula held her wrist tightly and shook her head, not looking at her.

Cruxis Angelus gave Fabula a long, considering look. "…You truly accept this?"

"…I have no other choice," Fabula said with a sigh. "Even though it was just a short time… I'm still happier with it than I would've been with eternity as a Guide. I'm ready to die."

There was a long silence.

"Unfortunately, your lover is right," Cruxis said at last, smiling. "Even though your actions broke our laws, by doing so, you have saved not only this world, but the delicate balance that maintains all worlds as well. How would justice be served by rewarding your actions with death?"

"…But…" Fabula just stared at her, wide-eyed.

"So, then—you're—?!" Aura gave Cruxis a stunned look that was almost disturbed.

"However, you are also correct in that such severe actions cannot be met without punishment, and that you have failed in your purpose as a Guide," Cruxis went on. "Therefore, I propose a different sentence, one befitting what you have done: You can no longer be considered a Guide, so I hereby strip you from bearing that title ever again. You will never return to your domain, and the eternal life that is given to us is no longer yours. You are mortal again—you will age and die as you were originally meant to do." She paused, then tilted her head slightly and considered Fabula with a somewhat mischievous smile. "…You're free."

"But… you… I…" Fabula shook her head, apparently beyond comprehension. "I-I should…! I should still…"

Aura grabbed her shoulder and shook her, clapping her other hand over her mouth. "Never mind her," she told Cruxis with false earnestness. "She took a blow to the head in the battle, and she's still somewhat confused. It makes her say strange things." She leaned in close and glared at Fabula, hissing, "Will you just _shut up _and take a gift that's handed to you for once?!" into her lover's ear.

"I find myself in perfect agreement with you," Cruxis said with an impish smile. "Enjoy the path that has been set before you, my child… you still have a role to play in this world."

Fabula prized free of Aura's grip, then shook her head again, unable to find words. Finally, she bowed from the waist, saying only, "Thank you for everything."

Cruxis smiled, and then the air rippled and the glyph she'd appeared over glowed. The space around her sparkled, and she vanished back through the dimensions.

"You _idiot," _Aura hissed, smiling wryly even as she gathered up a fistful of Fabula's dress and cloak, shaking her again. "You stupid, reckless _moron. _Don't—you—_ever—_do that to me again, I will _kill _you if you do."

"…" Fabula just smiled and leaned into Aura's shoulder, closing her eyes.

_"So!" _Aura turned around to stare pointedly at Lisa, who'd been watching the proceedings silently. "We have a lot to do here before we can even think about what happened to the guys or figure out what this country's going to end up as, where it's going to head with so many of its people lost to the Heartless. But I can think of where we're supposed to start… considering that these kids here have been waiting for your help for a while."

"Y-yes," Lisa managed, and she stood, wiping tears away. "I… I'll do that."

Before any of them learned to cope or to understand, they had to master that first—the art of moving forward, regardless.

Because, after all… they had a future in front of them now.

(TBC)


	41. Epilogue: Always On My Mind

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

Epilogue

The sound of the water's spray split the air like the blast of a drumroll, impossibly loud. As always, it cut through Aura's dreams and pulled her into the waking world again.

Groaning, she grabbed the comforter and pulled it up over her head, closing her eyes firmly. It didn't help much. There wasn't much use for them now without any Heartless in their world anymore, but Aura's senses were still far better than a human's, and she would _never _be a heavy sleeper. Loud noises like that always, always, _always _woke her up.

"Damn it…" Knowing she wouldn't get back to sleep anytime soon, she sat up, thoroughly annoyed, and made a face at the room.

She'd wanted it done up dark, and Fabula hadn't minded, so on had gone the midnight-blue paint on the walls and the black on the ceiling. It wasn't particularly big or spacious—just a bedroom, with room enough for a closet and a bed and the door to the washroom—but it was nice that they had someplace of their own. Aura didn't think she was ready to go back to Windaria yet, especially since now it would be entirely empty, the race that had raised her as their own all gone. The thought still hurt a bit, but she was getting used to its cold weight, moving closer to the time when she'd be able to accept it without anger or guilt.

The lamp was perilously close to the corner of the bedside table again. Scowling, Aura reached out to move it over onto safe territory, gathering up the papers that had claimed most of the space and shoving them together into something resembling a pile. Half were sheet music, and the other half pages of handwritten lyrics with strikeouts and corrections scattered here and there over the marching lines of text.

Looking down at the floor, Aura swore as she saw the outfit she'd been wearing last night still lying there. Damn it, now she'd have to pick _that _up too. Or wear it again. But she'd probably pick it up. Clean clothes were no longer a luxury, and she was still enjoying that fact. Give it another few weeks, and _then _she'd be back at her old habits.

Fabula had picked _hers _up and put it away. Damn that woman's common sense. She probably wouldn't gloat about it, but _still. _It was a real pain in the ass.

So, truly, what choice _did _she have other than to make an annoyance of herself in return?

(Well, okay. There were plenty of other choices. But come on, they all called for politeness, and politeness at this hour was _definitely _out.)

With a sigh, Aura stood up, not bothering to put anything on, and stalked for the washroom in uneven, sleepy steps.

She opened the door and Fabula turned in the shower, staring through the glass with upraised eyebrows and an amused look on her face.

_"Again?" _she asked, starting to smile.

"And always, as long as you keep—taking—your—_damn—_shower—at—this—psycho—time." Aura glared sourly at her lover, her eyebrow twitching.

"I would be _more _than happy to use the shower at night. Only problem with _that _is, you always want to play as soon as I'm done, and that means I basically went and got clean for nothing." Turning back to the water, Fabula shook her head and kept smiling. "You'll get used to it eventually. Soon you won't even bat an eyelid at the sound."

"Yeah, _you _say so," Aura growled, crossing her arms. "Jeez, why can't you just take a _bath _like the rest of us normal people?"

"FYI, filling a tub like this with bathwater is even louder than a shower spray. So that would be roughly thirty minutes of headache for you, and then you would probably want to come in with me to get even."

_There _was an idea. One she hadn't thought of before. "Mmm, you have a point," Aura said, keeping her voice as flat as she possibly could so that Fabula wouldn't catch on about _what._

However, Fabula seemed to have gotten to know her well enough to see through it. "Uh-oh, I've gone and given you ideas now, haven't I?"

"Maybe." Grinning wickedly, Aura slid the glass door back and joined her lover in the shower.

Fabula shook her head, laughing. "Well, all I ask is that you don't take _too _much of my time. We've still got to meet up with Lisa before the concert, remember?"

"Hey, you woke me up. You've gotta at least suffer a _little."_

"…Maybe."

"Mm-hmmm."

---

Had it really been only a week and a half since then?

It seemed like so much more time had passed. Everything had happened so _fast, _after all…

The children had all been restored, and the people of Archaea, realizing they were no longer in danger, had met to decide the fate of their nation now that so many of their towns as well as their capital had been decimated by the Heartless and stood mostly empty. Because they knew that their King was still alive and had faith that he would return to them someday, Clear was set up as a temporary ruler in his place with a council of dedicated advisors to help him make decisions. The people of Comodeen and the last few refugees from Isu had mostly relocated again, and now lived in Ivalice—except for Rau and Mu, who had gone back to Bellebane. Aura, Fabula, and Lisa had escorted them there, and their homecoming had been a beautiful thing.

As for them—well, Lisa had gone back to living with Joe Hayakawa and the twins at their fiefdom, and Aura and Fabula now had a home there as well. Lisa had decided that she would eventually accept her old position of diplomat once again, when she was better able to accept everything that had happened. Aura spent most of her time giving what remained of the fiefdom's defenses frank advice on "how not to get slaughtered in every battle you fight", and was making noise about starting a gun smithy in town. And Fabula…

Well. It had been a long time since she'd actually enjoyed a normal mortal existence—a _long _time. Because of her knowledge, she'd first worked with the fiefdom's historians to add to the store of wisdom kept in the castle library, but then she'd finally let Aura badger her into trying out something drastically different.

As Kiri had observed once and as Aura had flatly pointed out to her, Fabula had an extremely powerful voice. It was strong, and clear, and had a broad range, and it was electrifying enough to knock any audience she had on its collective ass. "So _why," _Aura had asked with crossed arms and upraised eyebrows, "are you wasting your time coating yourself in ink in a freaking library when you can spend it much better on a stage?"

Hence the former Guide's new career as a singer, one that was surprisingly satisfying—and lucrative. And an endless source of amusement to both her and Aura.

"I have _fans," _she'd remarked after her second concert.

"If you sleep with any of them, I'll kill the lot of them, and then you won't need to worry about being popular ever again."

Fabula had sighed tragically. "If I sleep with any of them, she says. We really _must _work on this endless insecurity of yours concerning our relationship. You are much cuter, probably much better in bed, and as I must continually point out to you, I don't swing that way. They're mostly male, if you haven't noticed."

"That's what you say _now," _Aura had retorted, but she'd been grinning.

Still, the fact that only the three of them were here to enjoy the almost-normalcy hurt like no other wound. Aura would never stop missing her brother or cursing the fate that had given him no option but the summoner's final choice. Fabula hid her deep grief over Kiri and Kumo's sacrifice from almost everyone who knew her, and did it impeccably, but at the first chance she'd gotten, she'd cut her hair, which now fell only to her waist, and Aura saw that sometimes there was a heavy sadness in her eyes that turned her smiles bitter.

How Lisa was coping with Kaze's loss, they actually didn't know very well—they hadn't seen much of her. She kept herself busy, and for the past few days she hadn't been feeling well. So it had come as a bit of a shock when she'd come up to them and asked if she could speak to them before Fabula's next concert.

They'd decided to meet at one of the town's restaurants, and Lisa was there ahead of time, fingering a tall glass of what looked like some kind of fruit juice and wearing her diplomat's uniform, a starched blue skirt and orange waistcoat. When she saw them approach, she made as if to stand, then sat down again as they took chairs around the same table as her, sitting silently beneath the cheerful red-and-cream-striped canvas umbrella over them all.

Finally, Fabula reached out and covered one of Lisa's hands with hers. "Are you alright?" she asked softly, not even the slightest semblance of pretense in her eyes.

Lisa took a deep breath and closed her eyes, biting her lip. "I-I… I don't know. It all—feels so strange to me. Sometimes I feel almost—normal, but then others I just can't take the thought of the things that have happened to us all…" She shook her head and looked at her drink. "But… I know that I have to talk to you, to tell you… there's something I just… it's so hard to explain." She covered her eyes with her hand, rubbing at her forehead. "I—I have to talk about Kaze. I've been getting this, this _feeling…"_

"What do you mean?" Aura asked, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs.

"At first I—I wouldn't let myself believe it." Lisa closed her eyes and leaned back as well. "I thought I was just in denial, or trying to avoid reconciling with the fact. But I—even though we all saw it, even though I fired his life with my own hands… I c-can't… I've been feeling it stronger and stronger with every single day that's passed. I don't believe that Kaze is dead. He's out there, somewhere… alive."

"Lisa…"

"I know. I _know _there's next to no chance, and I _know _that even if he did survive, he could be anywhere, in any world. But I can't help this feeling that I have. I have no choice but to believe it. And because I do, I-I can't just stay here any longer. I want to go find him. I have to go find him." She sighed. "Besides… even if I had it in me to wait until I had some kind of sign, some way to be sure… I wouldn't be able to leave then anyway. I'm running out of time."

Fabula frowned at her. "Lisa, what are you talking about?"

Lisa looked from her to Aura, and then surprisingly, she colored, her face going bright pink. "Um. I… I know I had to tell you two that, too. I've been able to tell for a few days now, as soon as things started to clear. I'm—um. That night in Ivalice, before we left through the Gate, when we all…" She coughed, and blushed even further, then looked down at the table and lightly put a hand to her flat belly. "I'm pregnant."

Aura and Fabula _stared. _"Whoa—whoa, wait. _What?"_

Lisa hid behind her hands. "Um. It wasn't like—we didn't really think of—we couldn't have used protection in any case. So… um. I-I wanted to marry him in any case, a-and start a family too, b-but not this soon…" Her voice got small and slightly squeaky, and she coughed again, clearing her throat and her mind.

"But it's barely been two weeks. You can really be sure this early?" Fabula asked, regarding Lisa with upraised eyebrows.

"Um. Y-yes. I should've been able to tell from the moment it happened, but… we were so focused on everything else that I guess I must've missed it." Lisa seemed equal parts uncertainly happy and wanting to crawl under the table and hide. "I-I… when, um. When it's time, I… know I won't be able to do anything, may never be able to again. I want to be a good mother, and that doesn't mean dragging a child all over the world or abandoning him or her so that I can do that on my own. But… if Kaze really is alive…" She hung her head a little. "I-I want my child to have a father…"

"Wow. I mean, like… _wow." _Aura was still staring; now she scooted her chair towards Lisa's, gave her a long, considering look, and reached out to poke her in the belly. "Hey. Hi in there." As Lisa blinked at her, she looked up with a fascinated expression on her face. "Think you'll be able to tell in a while if you're having a boy or a girl?"

"Y-you're—not angry?" Lisa finally managed.

"Huh?" Aura raised one eyebrow. "Why _would _I be? Look—" She leaned back in a relaxed position, raising one hand in a reasoning gesture. "I told Kaze-niisan a long time ago that if he let things between you two keep going, neither of you would've been happy with _just _hitting the sheets. You probably would've done the whole white-dress-and-wedding-bells deal, and the aftermath of that _does _usually mean kids. You were—you're good for him. Even if you _are _a pain in the ass sometimes, my personal opinion doesn't matter too much compared to that." She sat up and grinned, then poked Lisa in the belly again. "Besides, you're giving me nieces and nephews, and little kids can be _fun."_

"Aura…"

"So." She turned to Fabula, then back to Lisa. "I know that we _do _have to plan this out and not just go charging off like idiots the way we did last time. But if you think my moronic brother is alive, if you feel it that strongly—I believe you. You and I were probably the only people who were ever really close to him, and if your heart is telling you that he's still out there waiting—I don't have one myself, so I'll just trust yours. Y'know?" Aura looked back at Fabula and made a face. "This isn't gonna stamp over any plans you've got, is it? You know we're gonna need someone besides me with some common sense on this kind of thing."

"Oh, so you only see fit to ask me _now?" _Fabula asked, smiling as she arched an eyebrow at Aura and reached out to lightly kick her in the shin. "Don't worry, I would be more than happy to go. I would hate to see Lisa's new family split up just when it's about to begin, and it would do you so much good to have Kaze back—your happiness is mine. We'll think it out and plan it first, and then we'll head in and see how things go. If Kaze is out there waiting, we owe it to him to go get him, wouldn't you say?"

Lisa gave the two of them a slightly watery smile. "…Thank you so much."

---

The landscape was both familiar and alien: Beautiful, rolling green hills under a bright blue sky dotted with perfect white clouds, tall strong trees here and there across the otherwise open grass, old weathered formations of rock. A pale path wound over and between the hills, leading far into the distance.

Kiri stood in the middle of the road, his gaze tracing it off towards the horizon, his Maken in one hand and Dragonheart in the other.

Since the moment he'd first awakened a few days ago, he'd known instinctively that this place wasn't his world. The explosion in the tree must have scattered them all—he'd seen the inscription below the girls and had a feeling that they'd probably been sent home, but since he and Kumo had been caught in the updraft instead of the main blast, they'd been thrown somewhere else.

Kumo hadn't been with him when he'd awakened, and since they _had _called their Symphonies, he _was _a bit worried, but—

But Kumo was powerful, almost as powerful as Kiri was, and if Kiri was alive, Kumo was surely still living, too. Kiri had to hold on to that belief.

He had no idea where he was or how far he was from home. He had no idea if this world was one where he would be able to survive or if it was hostile. But there _was _one thing he did know, and that was that if there was a road, there were surely people somewhere here who maintained it, who had built it.

Fabula had told him, and he'd heard about Keyblades in the past, that they weren't just weapons, but that they could obviously lock and unlock the worlds' Doors.

Kiri had Dragonheart. His way forward was clear.

He was alive. He was capable. Kumo wasn't with him—therefore, Kumo had probably been thrown into another world. So Kiri would look for him. As long as he had Dragonheart, he could travel this world and even to others, and look and look until he found his beloved brother. Even if it took him months. Even if it took him his entire life.

He would find Kumo, and then they would finally be able to go home again.

With the brilliant light of hope in his heart, Kiri took a deep breath, then took his first step down the road to his destiny.

(to be concluded)


	42. Bridge

Kokoro no Hanashi

(see disclaimer in the Prelude)

Bridge

The heart of all worlds has two halves. The door to one half was closed, as it had been for long ages; the other stood open.

Behind that open door, the darkness was deep.

Down, down into that endless abyss of midnights and shadows, the usually formless heart of the darkness had taken shape, its vast being stretched from the corners of its domain to suggest soft layers, husks and wisps and softness and warmth and frail solidity and nearly organic tissue in the protective shell of a cocoon.

It pulsed like the heart it was, expanding and contracting with a deep soft echo. Darklight shone bright pale violet through the gaps in its encompassing defense, haloing something curled within it, allowing brief glimpses of what it was the darkness was so intent on protecting, on healing.

Unlike that which had come forth from it, the wellspring of the darkness was compassionate without possessing humanity. It nurtured that which was born of itself, and that which it took into itself. It merely _was. _Good and evil meant nothing to it. They were words that only meant something on the other side of the door. It forged nightmares; it exploited fears. It formed a curtain cutting off the weary from the world when the world was too much to handle. It engulfed those near it in deep silence, warm or alien as the one engulfed perceived. It could frighten; it could heal. It was hate. It was love.

If he had been awake and aware, if he had been able to think, he would have realized openly what his body well knew: In the end of that battle he had been hurt, and badly. His mind was blank, forced such by instinct, and he slept deeply, dreamlessly.

Still, there would be a time when he would have to wake, and the darkness was allowing him to prepare for such a time.

Inside the warm cocoon, he shifted, a brief restless movement. Uncurled, as the darklight played over his skin, making it seem pale, then curled again, legs folded to his body, arms curled around them. A flash of what might have been metal—and then nothing, as softened waves of long chestnut hair swept to cover it. A restless murmur; a brief glint of cerulean as one eye opened slightly, still caught in what might have been a dream.

The darkness rippled, soothed. The eye closed.

Cradled in the womb of the darkness, Kaze slept on undisturbed.

**Tsuzuku.**

:AFTERWORD AND CREDITS:

This is the end of Kokoro no Hanashi. The story will continue in the second part of the trilogy, Hikari no Hanashi.

It has been a long, incredibly hard road to get to the point where I can type these words. For nearly two and a half years, I have worked to take something out of my head and change it into a language that can be more easily understood than my (often tangled) thoughts. There have been setbacks (writer's block, lack of computer/Internet access, schoolwork, other writings, invasions by other fandoms, and so on), but finally we are here. It feels very strange that this should be so. There were times in the past where I was very certain that I would never finish this story in my lifetime. There were times when I forced myself to stay alive so that I _could _finish this story in the end. That one third of this epic should be complete at last seems untrue.

Before I get on to the character credits and kudos, there are a few final notes on the story I'd like to share.

The **Cross Sword **appears towards the end of FF:U After, and instead of being a fusion of Kiri and Kumo's swords, in canon it's a reflection of Kiri's Maken created with his soul and Crux's body. With it, Kumo is capable of summoning his and Kiri's Soutouju by himself. For more details on that part of the plot, go read Kareshi's translations on Worlds or on the FF:U LiveJournal community.

Although no one comments on it (maybe they've forgotten, it was so long ago?), the **Tower of the Heavens** that connects Mystaria to the surface world is modeled on the tower inside the sacred tree. Both were designed to mirror the tower in which Kiri and Kumo (and Sora, in Kingdom Hearts) experience their Dives to Heart. Whether that tower is in fact the tower in the tree or not is still unclear.

Now for a word or two on the villains—**Azrael Astaroth's **name is composed of an angel's name (depending on who you ask, Azrael is the Angel of Death or the angel of something else entirely—you decide which I meant when I named him that) and one of the many names of the devil, both from Christian mythos. As for his physical design, it was rather influenced by that of DiZ from Kingdom Hearts II. They are very much not the same person, however. His corrupted summons and the concepts behind them derive from both the precision that Kiri, Kumo, and Kaze all show in the anime, as well as traditional views of evil magic and the dark magical properties of bodily fluids. Although it was not mentioned at that point of the story (because the author is not perfect and cannot remember to put bloody everything into the NNs), the twisted Ittouju which Azrael Astaroth calls in the first Endless Ballad chapter was forged with Kumo's blood, his tears, and his semen. Hence his taunting Kiri by saying it's a "gift" from Kumo. It was Azrael Astaroth's way of bragging that he'd raped Kumo without saying it outright.

Conversely, **Kara**'s design was based loosely upon that of Isabella from Sword of Mana (she appears, I believe, as Bigieu in the second Secret of Mana game, as well?), taking the basic elements of the character that make her a flirtatious and sensual but nonetheless good-hearted, almost girl-next-door figure and twisting them for a darker slant (curly hair, fetish wear as preferred costume, whip rather than knives as favorite weapon, sends peons out to fight instead of going in herself, total hedonist, cruel sense of humor and so on). I threw in a little Herba while I was at it. Kara's name was actually meant to be pronounced like the name Cara—spelled with a K much the way that vampires/demons/cultists and such change Cs to Ks to make Christian-sounding names less so—but my head then started giving it Japanese pronunciation… Hence, either form of pronouncing the name is equally correct.

As for **Koryu Gaddys**, the elements behind his design are actually a massive spoiler for Saigo no Hanashi, so they can't yet be disclosed. Unfortunately.

The room in **Kara's mansion** where she rapes Kiri is actually the same bedroom in which Kiri dreams of having had sex with Kumo's heartless form in the very first interlude's short story.

Heavily edited versions of **Fungus and Herba** from FF:U canon were given a cameo in the Destiny Intertwining arc as the Sephiras.

The **inhibitor shell** around Kumo's heart and just what Fabula and Lisa were talking about when they said those with pure hearts are unable to defend themselves in combat will be addressed in Hikari no Hanashi, and also somewhat in Saigo no Hanashi.

The name of the town in which the Comodeen military is based, **Lukahn**,was taken from the prophet in the original Final Fantasy who foretells the coming of the Warriors of Light to battle Chaos.

Aside from canonical FF:U characters, people appeared from the following fandoms: Kingdom Hearts; Final Fantasies II, VI, VII, VIII, X, Tactics Advance, and Spirits Within; Ghost in the Shell; Lunar: Silver Star and Lunar: Eternal Blue; Golden Sun; Tales of Symphonia; Phantom of the Opera; Legend of Legaia; DNAngel; and last but most definitely not least, Gundam Seed. I do not own any of them, no matter how much I love them all.

**THANK YOU**

**Thalia the Tiger, **because Kokoro no Hanashi _could not have been written _without your help. Nothing can ever really communicate my gratitude for all your support through frantic phone calls, demands to know more about Kingdom Hearts' overall plotline, my insistence to spoil every little bloody thing for you, assistance in finding ways around writer's block, sympathy when the story was arguing with me, the crying shoulders, and the fandom introductions. Not to mention the time when you risked allowing people to hear your naked voice. (/shot, and rightfully so!) You are one of the most bloody amazing people on the planet, and don't you ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

**S. G. Smythe,** better known here as **Uzumaki-sama:** Kokoro no Hanashi might equally have never been written if I hadn't seen the way you've succeeded so amazingly with Stygian Solace. I also owe you the format of my interludes, because you invented it. Not only are you amazingly smart and persistent and demonstrative of how well epics can work and a fangirl out of her teens, you also made me feel like a million bucks when you complimented my writing. You are my idol and the best writer I know (personally). And an inspiration. Make sure you tell me whenever you finish and publish something original so that I can camp outside Borders on the release date. And chase you down like the psycho fangirl I am when you do a public signing. (/hugs you)

**My reviewers, **because I love your feedback so much and because I love seeing how people react to my work so that I can tell what went right and what went wrong. You made me giggle and you made me squee and sometimes you made me cringe in rightful shame. I'm evil, and yet you continue to read what I put out. I hope you'll still be there when I start Hikari no Hanashi, so you can see everyone's journeys out to the end.

**Ai no Kareshi, **for your After translations—the FF:U fandom owes you so much for what you did for us. Since stupid Squeenix gave up on the series, if it weren't for you no one out of Japan would've been able to see the story through to its natural end. Dolk and Touya in particular love you for letting them shine the way they were supposed to. We don't care how long it takes you to finish translating Their Bond, so long as it gets up eventually. Hope you and Ai have a nice life together, you wonderful African linguist you!

**Ambers #s 2 and 3, **for giving me input on Azrael Astaroth. He was a hard bad guy to design, and he wouldn't have been his evil stupid self without you two.

**My real-life friends, **for being patient and tolerant of my fandom rambles and letting me stuff FF:U down your collective throats. Y'all know I love you, especially for understanding and being happy for me when I announced to you all that "MY BABY [the Kokoro no Hanashi manuscript IS TWO WHOLE INCHES TALL!"

More music artists than I count—I'll have to name only a few, since the full list would be some ten pages long: **Utada, Evanescence, Green Day, Michael Flatley, Tom Sharpe, Do As Infinity, Hitomi Shimatani, Anna Nalick, Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton, the Goo Goo Dolls, The Fray, Gackt, day after tomorrow, Pink, **and so on and so forth. I love you. So so so so so so soooo much. I would not be able to write without you.

More _authors _than I can count, who all influenced my writing in some way, shape, or form: **Scott Westerfeld, Stephen King, Tamora Pierce, Alice Hoffman, Holly Black, Nora Roberts, Charles De Lint, Lynne Ewing, **and so many others. Thank you all for everything.

**Vyctori, Tricia, and Desu, **for the music. Y'all are awesome. Music sharing for the _win._

**Kaze, **for suddenly becoming chivalrous and lovable and selfless. And for kicking ass. GOOO ROCK-BOY GO. You are so much _cuter _when you don't suppress your heart; canon!Kaze could (and should) really take a lesson from you. Sorry about all the pain, trauma, and angst. Enjoy fatherhood. (/snicker, quick exit stage right)

**Lisa, **for caring and being so compliant as to the rest of the cast. You write so _easily _compared to some of them. They would not have LASTED without you there to take care of them, heal their injuries, remind them to feel, and protect them. You will make such a good mommy.

**Aura, **for cracking me up so much. You are so bitchy and win. Now I have trouble writing canon!Aura, since I'm so used to making you snarky and mean and morale-boosting-ly evil. Even though you aren't human, you're probably one of the most human characters in this story, and you have the fans to prove it. Few other people, we suspect, would make us snicker in the middle of a sex scene.

**Fabula, **for getting fed up and defying everything. I really do love and look up to you, and I was so happy to show the rest of the world the side of you that I see. Hopefully, from now on, not a single reader will be able to forget the can of whoop-ass you have set aside for a rainy day, even in the canon show where you're not allowed to do anything to help the heroes. You told me a story, a very important story, because that was all you could do. Not only do I impart that story to whoever I can, but you've become part of one of my most cherished stories yourself. ILU ILU ILU. Enjoy your time off until you have to get going again.

**Kumo, **for being your adorable self. And for always coming to Kiri's rescue whenever self-doubt was eating at him. I tend to torture you a _lot, _but you've always been patient and put up with me. I love you, you know that? Next time around, you'll get a chance to prove what you can do. Don't let Sumire drag you down, sweetheart. (/snuggle)

**Kiri, **for _everything. _I've been _so _mean to you, and even though we've disagreed every now and then about the direction of the story, in the end you made it through, just like I knew you would. There is so, _so _much more to you than Oscha wanted to show. Since so few know and understand the part of you that's such a loving, perfect big brother, I wanted so much to portray that, and I could here. Don't you ever give up—believe in yourself and you can do anything. Maybe you aren't a conventional one, but you're really a hero.

And finally (here I am saving the best for last AS ALWAYS), **Rau-sama. **I love you, and I believe in you, and it's always great to know someone else who holds the opinion of "YEAH, WELL HUMANITY SUCKS" where I live. I so loved being able to write you into this. Whenever I tell a story, know that I do it because of you above all else.

This story's dedication is split three ways: Firstly to its fan following, however small it is, because it has one; secondly to Thalia and Uzu-sama, who made it possible to write it; thirdly to Rau-sama, because you deserved people's understanding and so does everyone I write about. I strive to grant them that, so that you will _never _be forgotten.

The story of the heart is over. Join me—and everyone whose journey still awaits—in the story of the light.

-Feral Phoenix

September 15, 6:58 PM


End file.
